Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that

has made all the difference.” (Robert Frost)

A year ago, we decided to take the road less travelled with a strong desire

to reach out to parents - to create an awareness of the importance of their role as

parents; to realize how vital it is to know, to understand and to connect with their

children; to help parents pause and reflect on their own views about their children and

how they parent them.

This month we have reached an important milestone – we have completed our first

year of publication of Parent Circle and we are proud to bring to you the first issue

of our second year. This last year, has been a challenging but fulfilling journey. We

have taken major strides in reaching out to parents. It always brings us great joy when

someone tells us how something we have published has helped them in some way. We

have also launched our website www.parentcircle.in which we hope will become an

additional resource for parents to gain information and to connect with each other.

As we celebrate our first anniversary, I would like to take this opportunity to thank

you the reader for cheering us on and infusing us with the energy needed to keep us

moving forward. A big thank you to our numerous writers, contributors and supporters

for making this journey possible. I would also like to acknowledge my very enthusiastic

team for stepping up to every challenge in creative and innovative ways.

This issue is a very special one. Instead of our regular articles, we bring you 108 ideas

with a very hands on, practical approach to ‘nurture curiosity, creativity and character’

in your child. These ideas are meant to spark interest and curiosity in the child. As

you will notice, we have not necessarily given complete solutions to all the ideas. We

want you to encourage the child to use these ideas as a starting point and explore and

expand beyond what we have suggested.

This time we have another special for you. Rochelle Rao, the winner of the Miss India

International 2012 pageant and her parents share their experiences on how they have

bonded together as a family in support of each other.

Interested in knowing your parenting style? Take the quiz under ‘What’s your

Parenting Style?’ to find out.

As we embark on our journey ahead, we look forward to your continued support and

encouragement. We would like to know what issues are uppermost in your mind as

a parent, how we can improve your experience as a reader and how we can further

support you as parents. We also encourage you to share your views and experiences so

that other parents can benefit from it.

It is said, “Every change starts in a small step” (Ron Stolero). We have taken our first

small step and we are now moving forward enthusiastically with the hope of reaching

out to even more parents like you.

May 13 being Mother’s Day, I wish all mothers, “A very Happy Mother’s Day!”

NALINA RAMALAKSHMI

Editorial

www.parentcircle.in 15

Introducing

Contents4 Your Word Letters to the Editor

6 What’s your Parenting Style? Quiz yourself

10 Interview Miss India International 2012

12 Lighter Vein The ‘H’ Word

16 Brain Gym

20 World of Imagination

24 Do-it-yourself Toys

26 Retro Games

30 Games on Wheels

32 Expend that Energy

36 World Explorer

40 History Mystery

42 Tech Tonic

44 Young Scientist

48 Invention Corner

52 Matho’magic

16 Brain Gym

20 World of Imagination

24 Do-it-yourself Toys

26 Retro Games

30 Games on Wheels

32 Expend that Energy

36 World Explorer

40 History Mystery

42 Tech Tonic

44 Young Scientist

48 Invention Corner

52 Matho’magic

Nalina Ramalakshmi

Nitya Varadarajan

Chitra Satyavasan

Shashwathi Sandeep

Asita Haq

Rangashree Srinivas

G Swarupa

M Ravisankar

S Venkataraaman

M R Jayakkar

S Visalam

G Suresh Kumar

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MANAGING EDITOR

ASSISTANT EDITOR

SENIOR EDITOR - COPY DESK

CONTENT COORDINATOR

CREATIVE HEAD

VISUALISER

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

PRODUCTION CONSULTANT

VICE-PRESIDENT

GENERAL MANAGER

ASSISTANT MANAGER

EDITORIAL

DESIGN

ADMIN

Sheeja Sasindran

SALES & DISTRIBUTION

ADVERTISING

C Ganesh

S Thirumalai

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PUBLISHED BY

Nalina Ramalakshmi

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Parent Circle is published by Nalina Ramalakshmi,

Director, Shri Harini Media Pvt. Ltd. All editorial material

including editorial comments, opinions and statement of

facts appearing in this publication, represent the views

of its respective authors and does not necessarily carry

the endorsement of the publishers. Information carried

in Parent Circle is gathered from sources considered to

be reliable, but the accuracy of all information cannot

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54 Nurture Nature

56 Lines & Strokes

60 Crafty Creations

66 Designer Forum

68 Room Makeover

72 Li’l Chef

74 Book Nook

76 Writers’ Guild

80 Voice your Thought

82 Looney Tunes

84 Giving Tree

86 Lead thy Kin

88 Sense & Sensibility

Please send in your letter with the subject line “Letters to the Editor”, before May 15, 2012, to editorial@parentcircle.in or send them to PARENT CIRCLE, 3rd Floor, Sri Renga Vihar, 8/14 First Cross St, Karpagam Gardens, Adyar, Chennai 600020, India.

Your WordI am a special educator and many articles in the April issue

such as the ones on dyslexia, labelling children and the

mainstreaming of children were meaningful and relevant,

especially to our field. It gave me an opportunity to reflect

on and review my own work. The article on summer camps

was also informative. I must compliment Parent Circle for its

dedicated effort to maintain the quality of content without

dilution for commercial reasons.

AARATHI AJITHKUMAR, Special Educator, Chennai

The cover story ‘Building Resilience’ comprehensively addresses

most of the issues faced by children fearing failure. The article

on dyslexia provides a valuable insight on how to identify and

work with dyslexic children. Sadly, despite the tremendous

advances in medicine, the numbers of specially-abled children

are only growing.

The article on summer camps is timely, giving us ideas on how

to zero in on the child’s requirements, assess summer camps

and monitor issues in the camps. I would have liked to see

some ‘Parent Speaks’ on various summer camp experiences that

would have provided interesting views.

V JAGANNATHAN, Chennai

I had attended Howard Gardner’s session on Multiple

Intelligence in Chennai but I found that your article in the

March issue presented the subject in a more engaging way. The

language was reader-friendly, and the concept was made simple

enough to be understood even by high school children. In fact,

I made a high school student do a project on this subject, based

upon this article.

The teen section is also interesting. The teen sleep article in a

past issue was an eye-opener.

KAUSALYA SRINIVASAN, Correspondent & Principal, Akshara Mat. Hr. Sec. School, Madurai

I liked the Viewpoint on failure written by Ashok Rao. Parents

must teach their children to be prepared for failure as much

as success.

DEEPA KRISHNAMURTHI, Chennai

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What’s your parenting

style?

Put a against your answers.1. It is your 15th wedding anniversary. Your children wish to organize a grand party on the eve of your wedding day. But your husband and you wish to celebrate it at the orphanage close to your heart. What do you do?a. Inform the children that it is your day and that you

wish to celebrate it the way you want to.

b. Allow your children to take over and organize the

party to please your children.

c. Spend lunch time at the orphanage and attend the

party your children are organizing in the evening.

d. Tell them that you are in no mood for celebration

as there is no need to celebrate a marriage.

2. Your family consists of six members. Your in-laws are diabetics while your husband has high cholesterol. Your teenage children love Italian and Chinese food but you prefer simple north Indian food. What meals do you serve your family? a. I will follow north Indian, diabetic and cholesterol-

free diet at home. My children can eat out if they want.

b. Prepare a weekly menu in advance to ensure a balanced

diet, keeping in mind the preferences of all members.

c. I will follow a diabetic and cholesterol-free diet

at home. Even the children have to eat the same food as

eating out is bad.

d. I will serve whatever I like, irrespective of their

preferences.

3. Your daughter has cut her hair short and streaked it, too, without informing you about it. You a. Refuse to give her permission to attend her friend’s

birthday party.

b. Will tell your spouse that she has the right to do

what she wants with her hair.

c. Will tell her that you are upset and that you

would have wanted her to discuss it with you.

d. Will ignore it as you don’t care what she does

with her hair.

4. Your son performs exceedingly well in his music class. What will you say to him?a. I will buy you an iPad for making me proud.

b. Anyone who works hard will do well.

c. For the efforts you put in, you should have done

much better.

d. You have done well. You worked hard for it.

Authoritarian Authoritative

Indulgent Neglectful

Quiz designed by Saras Bhaskar, a counsellor affiliated with the

Chennai Counselors Foundation

Quiz

5. Your daughter has been caught cheating on a school test and you are informed. How will you handle this?a. I will punish my daughter so that she does not copy in the future.b. I will apologize to the teacher for my daughter’s behaviour.c. I will teach her about behaviours that will cause trouble and teach skills that will show how to stay away from them. d. I will not interfere as it is her problem.

6. Your son tells you that his friend Ashok is a drug addict. You willa. Tell your son that you do not care what his friend does for he will face the consequences of his actions.b. Tell your son that you will buy him a BlackBerry if he stopped being friends with Ashok. c. Tell your son to convince Ashok to stop using drugs, failing which your son will inform his friend’s parents. d. Warn your son strictly against being friends with Ashok.

7. I am doing everything for my child so that he takes care of me in my old age.a. Even if I did everything for my child, he is anyway going to ignore me in my old age. b. Let him lead his life, we will lead ours. c. Why not! It is his obligation.d. Certainly not. 8. What do you think is the main objective of parenting? It isa. To let your children be happy by allowing them to do whatever they want. b. To make sure that children always obey your orders. c. To provide children with just food, clothing and shelter.d. To make sure that children are taught the life skills needed to be disciplined and are able to make their own choices. 9. Your daughter lost a diamond ring that has been with the family for generations. Now, your mother-in-law wants to see the missing heirloom. What will you do?a. You will say that you lost the ring to protect your daughter.b. You will tell your mother-in-law that you slapped your daughter hard for losing the family heirloom.c. You will tell her that your daughter lost the ring and is sorry for her carelessness. d. You will say that she never gave it to you in the first place to protect your daughter and yourself.

10. Your children are playing when suddenly the elder one hits the younger one. What will you do?a. You will scold both of them and ask them to stop play for an hour. b. You won’t interfere as children will always hit each other while playing. c. You will ignore and pretend you didn’t watch the younger one being hit. d. You will tell your older child it is not right to hit people, make him say sorry, and teach him how to resolve conflicts without force.

11. You go to a restaurant for lunch with your colleagues and at a nearby table, you see your daughter and a boy holding hands. You a. Pretend you have not seen her and proceed to your table. b. Walk over to their table and drag her out. c. Walk over to their table and greet the boy with familiarity to protect your daughter. d. Walk over to their table, greet them and proceed to your table.

12. Your 17-year-old son returns home smelling of alcohol. You bring him in anda. Tell your spouse that the boy is just like his uncle. b. Take care of him and speak to him later. c. Strongly reprimand him and question why he is bringing disgrace to the family. d. Inform your spouse that kids this age need to experiment and that is exactly what he has done.

13. You want your daughter to become a doctor while her Dad wants her to be a lawyer like him. But you are not sure what exactly your daughter wants. What will you do?a. Let my daughter follow her own wishes without consulting us. b. I alone will decide as I know what is best for her.c. We will discuss with her and determine together based on her interests, skills and abilities. d. I really don’t care what career she pursues later.

14. Your 16-year-old son has been invited by his friend Sunil for an overnight beach party. When your child asks for your permission, you willa. Tell him that you will decide whether he should go or not. b. Say that he should check with his Dad. c. Ask your son to give you the contact number of Sunil’s parents so that you can discuss the logistics of the party and then give consent. d. Buy him clothes so that he looks smart at the party.

The table below matches your answers with a particular parenting style. Circle the answer you have selected for each question. The column with the most circled answers reflects your dominant parenting style.

Question No. Authoritarian Authoritative Indulgent Neglectful

1. a c b d

2. c b a d

3. a c b d

4. c d a b

5. a c b d

6. d c b a

7. c d b a

8. b d a c

9. b c a d

10. a d b c

11. b d c a

12. c b d a

13. b c a d

14. a c d b

You may find that you are somewhere in

between. Or you may congratulate yourself as

you find your style is authoritative. If you find

yourself to be an indulgent or authoritarian

parent, there is no need to panic.

There are many instances where non-

authoritative parents have reared well-adjusted

and happy children. Again, the temperament of

a child may also be a factor in influencing your

parenting style.

Think about what kind of adults you want your

children to become, and make suitable changes

to your style after you have considered all

these factors.

Authoritarian Authoritarian parents expect their children to follow strict rules as they believe in strong discipline. Channels for negotiations are blocked, and if the children break rules, harsh punishments are meted out.

This style of parenting does not take into account the views and wishes of the children, and unwanted child behaviour is severely punished. Such parents would say things like, “Because I say so,” “Because I am your Mom”, or “Because I am your Dad.”It is believed that while children of authoritarian parents often perform well academically, they are at risk of becoming adults with poor social skills and low self-esteem.

Authoritative (or Democratic/Balanced) This is the gold standard of parenting. Authoritative parents lay down the rules or ‘guidelines’ and do so in a democratic fashion, keeping in mind their children’s viewpoints. They also tell children the reasons behind such rules. Such parents are affectionate and engaged, and responsive to the needs of their children. But when the situation demands, they will be strict and adopt a no-nonsense approach.

Such parents will say, “Fine, let us think through this”, “Let us find more acceptable solutions”, or “May be we should talk about it and then decide.” Children of such parents usually: • Are assertive

• Do well at school and are happy • Are kind and responsible • Become independent-thinking adults • Are confident & cooperative

Indulgent (or Permissive) Parents who favour this style love their children so much that they cannot say ‘no’ to anything that their children want. They are unable to set boundaries and believe in having a friendly relationship with their children. They can also be unpredictable and inconsistent in their behaviour towards their children.

Parents will say,“We are best friends” or “I am not her father but her best friend.”

Children of such indulgent parents often have better

social skills and high self-esteem. However, such children may get involved in risky behaviour and do not hold themselves accountable for their behaviour.

NeglectfulParents who adopt this style are uncommunicative and unresponsive to the needs of their children. While they ensure that their children's basic survival needs like food, shelter and education are met, they are not much attached to the parenting experience and abdicate discipline.

According to researchers, children of such parents may experience problems in cognition, emotional skills, attachment, and social skills.

WHAT THE STYLES MEAN

“My parents are my mentors …”Femina Miss India International 2012

ROCHELLE MARIA RAO stands tall and

smiling, her slender frame elegantly

sheathed in a brick-red gown. For a

23-year-old, she is remarkably poised -

wearing her success, minus any attitude

one usually associates with newly-crowned

celebrities. It may be because the Rao

household is no stranger to fame. There

is already a celebrity in the family–her

older sister Paloma, a VJ with a

music channel.

Affable, down-to-earth and vivacious,

Rochelle’s eyes sparkle with

enthusiasm as she reminisces

fondly to SHASHWATHI

SANDEEP about how her

parents, Dr Nicolas Vincent

Rao and Wendy Rao,

shaped her life and

stood by her on the

long road to success.

Interview

spiritual

You are one of the very few Chennaiites to win the Miss India title. How does it feel? It feels great. It took time for the impact

of the achievement to sink into my

psyche. My name was announced as the

winner, and I took to the ramp; only then

did it hit me that I had actually won!

What role did your parents play in this win?

My parents are my spiritual mentors.

They taught me to have faith in God.

They taught me that sticky situations will

resolve themselves for the best outcome.

I have tried and tested this philosophy

and it has worked out well for me. They

taught me to never give up and to follow

my dreams. Our father taught us to stand

up for what we believed in. In our family,

love comes first. We always forgive and

forget. My parents have supported me

and been with me whenever I needed

them. I can truly vouch for my family

being the source of my strength.

Many parents feel that modelling is a dark career and do not allow their children to enter this profession. What do you have to say to them? Every field has a dark aspect to it and

modelling is not an exception. All I can

say is, if you don’t want to get dirty,

don’t play with dirt. Modelling has

good sides to it. Focus on this and avoid

dubious shortcuts. Play safe, trust God

and be assured. Life is not always easy.

Success is not the only phase of life.

What did you learn from your siblings? When I was 16 years old, I lost my eldest

brother. He was in the US Army. There is

a huge age difference between my twin

brothers and my sister and me. But he

was the first model in our family and he

inspired me to become one. His bold

and confident attitude rubbed off on

me.

My sister Paloma is my mentor. She is

a good dancer, she plays the guitar and

has many talents. I have a responsibility

of living up to her expectations.

How do you spend family time?

We are a very talkative family. We talk

and waste so much time just deciding

where to go if we want to go out that

we end up not going anywhere. Our fun

time is usually at home – we invite friends

over, Dad plays the guitar, and we sing,

dance and chat.

Meet the PARENTS What kind of an environment did you provide for them?

NICOLAS: There were no rigid rules. I

have encouraged my children to chase

their dreams, and did not pose obstacles.

In my case, my father wanted me to

study medicine though I had a fascination

for aeronautical engineering. I studied

medicine for nine long years but did not

practice it. Children should be allowed

to develop their interests, and given

the freedom to make career choices.

Otherwise, it gets hard on them and they

start rebelling.

Any advice that you gave Rochelle before she entered modelling?

WENDY: Rochelle was just two when

she began modelling for advertisements.

Paloma guided her, so our role was

minimal. We told her to finish her

education before entering this field and

the related competitions as education

is a basic necessity. We always told her

before a competition, “Even if you don’t

win, we will still love you, but don’t fear

failure.”

What makes your family close-knit?

WENDY: As parents, we ensured the

bonding and involvement with our

children right from the start. We were

able to talk to our children about taboo

subjects such as childbirth and physical

relationships without difficulty. This

needs to be done in this day and age

so that children do not blunder into

situations. Rather, they become aware of

the pros and cons of typical adolescent

pressures, and do not make impetuous

decisions that they would regret later.

We also gave our children the freedom

to do many things like going out to

parties and staying out late. But the trust

factor between us is very strong and our

children never stepped out of bounds.

What is your message for all the parents? WENDY: By the time a child turns four,

80% of his learning capacity is over. So

talk to them as much as possible. Teach

them about God. Always be there for

your children. Encourage them - your

words mean a lot. Give them their

freedom and they will understand their

boundaries. Being overprotective does

not help. Be open as a family, allow them

to ask questions and share opinions.

Accept them as they are.

NICOLAS: Trust your children. Don’t

cast children in your mould. God made

us unique. Help them to be themselves

and allow them to make their decisions.

Strengthen their weaknesses and build

on their strengths. Make them think

realistically and help them face

the world.

Paloma, Nicolas, Rochelle and Wendy Rao

A new business opened just

down the street from my

house. It's called “Rent

a Husband,” No kidding.

My husband says that

they probably send a guy over to watch

basketball and fall asleep on your couch.

Nope. Turns out, you can call to have

a man (presumably someone else’s

husband) come and do stuff, like clean

out your gutters or fix your back stairs.

Frankly, if I was going to pay good

money to rent a husband, I wouldn’t

waste him on household chores. I’d rent

one who liked to dance and bring him to

my nephew’s bar mitzvah or lease a man

who wouldn’t grumble about spending

Friday night seeing a romantic comedy

instead of a movie with car chases and

submarines.

But I already have a husband and even

though I will have to wait until the next

Hugh Grant movie comes out on video,

and beg my husband to dance at the

bar mitzvah, he’s a good guy with a

steady job. The job is especially attractive,

because when something breaks in our

house, my husband doesn’t grab his

toolbox, he reaches for his wallet.

It’s true; my husband is talented in many

areas. He can name the entire 1976

lineup of the Philadelphia Phillies and

his grilled steak tips are perfection - but

he isn’t handy. Neither of us is. In fact,

at our house, the word is practically a

profanity we call it the “H” word.

There are handy guys out there. I’ve seen

them at Cub Scout meetings where their

sons race Pinewood Derby cars that look

like they were engineered by NASA. The

sleek lines are testimony to the dad’s

professional wood shop and prowess

with a lathe. Our son’s car is slopped

with poster paint and festooned with

Pokémon stickers, but he made it all by

himself. When the other kid’s car wins

first place, the kid gets the trophy, but

it’s the dad who deserves it - for being

handy. When our son’s car careens off

the track, we tell ourselves that building

character is more important than winning

a race. Our son, whose character is still

under construction, sulks in the backseat

as we drive home.

Handy guys are like sled dogs in the

snow; they leave their mark everywhere.

They remember to put down the toilet

seat, and then stand on it to install sky

lights in the bathroom. They watch the

NCAA Playoffs and during half time

they wire their family room for surround

sound. When their Internet connection

is down they know how to get it back

up. Handy guys see a problem and they

get their drill bits. My husband sees a

problem and he gets an estimate. It’s

hard not to be a little envious.

In my neighbor’s back yard, there’s a

tree house that my kids adore and that I

covet. It’s got more square footage than

my entire first floor. The kitchen is nicer

too. That’s because the dad who lives

next door to us is handy.

But unlike the chickenpox or crabgrass,

being handy isn’t contagious. You can’t

catch it from your neighbors. Instead,

you have to endure watching them

tackle one fabulous home improvement

project after another. New front steps, a

backyard patio, bunk beds, and a home

theater. It’s enough to make you dread

the weekend.

“Dad, can you build a real batting cage

in our back yard?” my son asks my

cornered husband. “Joey’s dad made one

and it’s awesome!”

Errr…I’m not sure that we have room for

something like that,” Harris stalls. “But if

you grab your glove, we can have a game

of catch.”

You know, it would be easy to rent a

husband to build a batting cage in the

yard or hire a hubby to install granite

counter tops in the tree house, but I

don’t think there’s any place where you

can rent a dad.

The ‘H’ Word

BY CAROL BAND

Lighter Vein

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Introducing

1idea

Brain Gymind games help in keeping the children occupied, particularly when

they do not have outdoor activities to keep them busy. They are food

for the brain, developing memory, thinking and logical skills. The

ideas below can be modified to suit the child’s age and level of learning.

This activity is ideal for children who

have just started learning fractions.

YOU WILL NEEDUnruled paper, Sketch pen,

Cardboard/thick paper

HOW TOPASTE paper on a cardboard. Cut it

into 49 rectangular tiles.

DIVIDE each tile into two. The

left side will show the fractions in

numerals and the right side will show

circular fractions.

DECIDE on the seven fraction

numerals. These can be 1/2, 1/3,

2/3, 1/4, 3/4, 1/6, 5/6. Now create

a double for each. For example, let

us take the fraction 1/2. On the left

side, write 1/2. Draw a line in the

middle. On the right side, draw a

half-shaded circle depicting

the fraction.

AS there are 49 tiles in total, every

fraction numeral should be part of a

group of seven.

THE remaining six tiles for the 1/2

fraction will carry 1/2 on the left

side while the circles on the right will

represent the remaining fractions -

1/3, 2/3, 1/4, 3/4, 1/6 and 5/6.

SIMILARLY, create tiles for

each fraction.

YOU can print all the tiles from

- http://www.dr-mikes-math-games-

for-kids.com/support-files/fractions-

dominoes.pdf

RULESPLACE the tiles face down on the

table and shuffle them.

EACH player takes 7 dominoes.

Leave the extra tiles in a pile.

THE player with the highest double

plays first. In fraction dominoes,

the ‘highest’ fraction will be the one

with the smallest denominator. If

no player has a double, then each

player may pick a tile and the one

whose fraction has the smallest

denominator can place the first tile

on the floor.

THE next player will have to match

one side of this tile with the side of a

TIPSYou can create domino

vocabulary games, too.

For younger children, create tiles

with opposite words, a word and

a picture or words and colours

or rhyming words (mat/cat,

right/flight and the like).

Counting dominoes are another

idea with dots on one side and

numerals on the other.

1/4 1/3

1/2

FOR

AGES

8+

(COURTESY: http://www.dr-mikes-math-

games-for-kids.com)

Make Your Own Dominoes

tile from his pile. Match the numeral

and circle fractions with either a

numeral or circle fraction or you can

match a numeral fraction with only a

corresponding circle fraction. Make

sure that tiles with equivalent

values touch.

PICK up from the pile if you can’t

place a domino.

PASS if no more dominoes are left in

the pile.

THE winner is the first person to run

out of dominoes.

Riddle-Me-ReeWitty and clever, riddles appeal to children and

adults alike. But have you told your children how they

can create their own riddles? We show you how.

STEPS TO WRITE A RIDDLETell your child to:

THINK of the answer first. Choose an everyday object like a pencil,

a cup or a comb. It could even be a colour!

NEXT, think of the characteristics of the chosen answer and

describe it. Write down all the verbs and adjectives related to

the answer.

COMPOSE a riddle using the verbs and adjectives.

USE words such as ‘like’ (‘I shine like a sun’: answer is ‘lamp’) and

other words denoting sound (‘We buzz and buzz in gardens great

and small’ - answer is ‘bees’) when she scripts her riddle; end the

riddle with a ‘What am I’?

ASK the riddle to family members and see if they can answer it.

If they cannot, have her rewrite the riddle

so that they can identify it after a few

attempts.

TELL her not to lose heart if others fail to

answer. Let their wild guesses create more fun

and laughter till she reveals

the answer!

Now have your child go ahead and make her own

riddle with these as answers - green, cat, house,

computer, bed, water, flower and book.

Memory GameThis game will test

your children’s

memory prowess

while providing

interesting information

on countries.

CUT a vertical strip of paper and

write down the names of 9 countries

in a sequence.

SHOW the strip to your children for

30 seconds.

THEN ask them to name the

countries in the correct sequence.

TO make them think harder, ask

indirect questions like:

Which country is followed by

the country that is known as the

birthplace of pasta?

Which country is listed three

places above the one whose capital

is Barcelona?

Which country is known as the

land of the rising sun and where is it

in the sequence?

2ideas

& 3

I’m as small as an ant,

as big as a whale. I’ll

approach like a breeeze,

but can come like a gale.

By some I get hit, but

all have shown fear.

I’ll dance to the music,

though I can’t hear. Of

names I have many, of

names I have one. I’m as

slow as a snail, but from

me you can’t run. What

am I?

(SHADOW)

Two who go together but never

meet each other. What are they?

(A RAILWAY LINE)

Black I am and much admired, men

seek me until they’re tired. When

they find me, they break my head,

and take from me my resting bed.

What am I? (CHARCOAL)

Look at the riddles given here and tell her to write a few of her own.

FOR AGES

5+

FOR

AGES

7+

Clown BoxYOU WILL NEED3 boxes (empty food cartons, too, will

do), Paper, Pen, Crayons, Old

visiting cards/bits of paper

4idea

HOW TODRAW the faces of three clowns on paper. Have your child colour them. Stick

the drawings on the three boxes. Your clown boxes are ready.

Label them 1, 2 & 3.

NEXT, on the blank side of old visiting cards, write nouns which the children

will find interesting. For example, in Box 1, drop visiting cards with nouns

written on the blank side like - an apple, my mother, a cat, the book or

my car.

IN Box 2, drop cards with phrases like ‘sails on the river’, ‘ate apples’, ‘baked

cookies’ or ‘ran through the forest’ written on them.

IN Box 3, drop cards with phrases like ‘to scare a stranger’, ‘without

stopping’, ‘under my bed’ or ‘while I ran away’ written on them.

NOW, ask your child to pick a card from each box. Let him read the sentence

out aloud. It could be something hilarious like - ‘An apple ran through the

forest to scare a stranger’!

Cha

sed

a

st

rang

er

a

fore

st

an apple

TIPYou can also put nouns in one

box, adjectives in another and

verbs in the third box and ask

the children to make sentences

with the words they pick up, one

from each box. Your child may

demand that you write a word

for him! Add it to the box. You

will be surprised how fast

he learns.

BENEFIT. This activity helps with

reading and sentence formation.

FOR AGES

5+

“An apple ran through the forest

to scare a stranger!”

1 2

3

(COURTESY: Aruna Raghavan, Shikshayatan)

5idea World of

Imaginationreative play is like a spring

that bubbles up from deep

within a child.”

JOAN ALMON

Fact and fiction merge together

to form a great imaginative world,

one in which you catch your young

child playing with invisible people

and things, cracking jokes with

dinosaurs while going on a walk,

smiling at nothing in particular.

Enjoy it while it lasts.

TIPThe food items can be

creatively made. Corn soup can

be made with soap water or tea

with coloured water. For a dish

that is green in colour, grass

can be used. Rice, grain, cut

veggies can be borrowed from

the kitchen, and so on.

The pretend restaurant will

be fun if more children join

together and run the place.

They can assign designations

for themselves and take

on various responsibilities.

Families and friends can be

invited as customers.

FOR

AGES

4+ What’s on the menu?

Remember those fake tea

parties that you organized

as a child, along with your

friends? Let your child

now run his own pretend

restaurant!

YOU WILL NEEDTable, Kitchen set, Table

cloth, Paper to double up

as napkins and table mats

HOW TO

DESIGNATE a room for your child to create this set up. Then

help your child find a table or tables (even stools would do) and

cover these with a table cloth or even newspapers.

CHILDREN can now decide on the menu. Let their imagination

run wild. You can help them come up with a unique menu (or

even unique names for dishes) that includes their favourite

dishes and variations.

NEXT, they need to make a menu card. It can be made

with paper or even with white cardboard sheets. The

menu card should have the restaurant’s name on the

top, the list of foods available and their prices.

NOW ask your child to set up the kitchen. She can also

use some of the utensils available in your kitchen.

SET the table with plates and glasses. The restaurant is

now OPEN!

My very own museum

YOU WILL NEEDAny prized possession of your child. It could be

a photo or drawings, awards or toys.

HOW TO

YOUR child will love this activity and you will get

surprising insights about him.

TO have a memento museum, you first need to

designate a room that can be used by your child

to display his precious objects.

ASK your child to select the most memorable

articles he has - his baby photos, his drawings,

favourite toys, trophies and certificates

or artwork.

HE can divide the museum into different

sections and categorize them as ‘school’,

‘family’ or ‘hobbies’.

HAVE him make placards out of cardboard

sheets explaining each article, giving the date,

title and background.

HE is now ready to take you and the rest of his

family and friends on a guided tour of

his museum.

FOR AGES

6+

Doll House The doll houses can be theme-based. This

need not be an exclusive activity for girls.

Boys can build garages for their toy cars or a

house for their Pokemon figures. Here is a simple idea

for a doll house.

YOU WILL NEED

Cardboard boxes, Newspapers, Scissors, Cutter,

Cellotape, Gift wrappers, Handkerchiefs, Sketch pens

HOW TO Have your child:

TAKE a cardboard box. Its sides become the walls of the

house. Stick together the flaps on top to make the roof.

ROLL some newspapers and tape them tightly to make

paper logs. Stick them close to each other on the roof.

DRAW the windows and doors with a sketch pen and

later, cut the shape with a cutter or a knife.

CUT out broad strips of cardboard and stick them

inside the house as shelves, or to make rooms. You can

arrange your dolls

inside as you like.

USE handkerchiefs

as curtains for

the house and for the

flooring, they could use

some fancy gift

wrappers.

HANG a lemon with

chillies strung on a

thread at the entrance

of the house for an

Indian feel. Draw

rangoli in front of

the house with chalk or

draw it on paper using

sketch pens and paste it in front of the doorway.

6ideas

& 7FOR

AGES

6+

TIPEvery week, your child can

add something new to the

doll house. For example,

she can make a garden

by bringing in some sand

and grass from outside. To

make a swimming pool, she

can use blue shiny paper.

Furniture can be made

using match boxes.

Shadow Puppet TheatreChildren like watching puppet

shows. We can encourage them

to make simple puppets at home.

They will enjoy putting on a show

for you.

YOU WILL NEEDFOR PUPPETS:

Black chart paper/Old X-ray sheets, Cutter, Scissors,

Stapler, Pencil, Coloured glazed paper, Broomsticks

FOR THE SCREEN:

White cloth (Dhoti), Table lamp, Table, Rope

TO STAGE THE SHOWPlace a table at one end of the room and cover it with

a colourful sheet. To make a screen, fasten a length

of white cloth (like a dhoti or bedsheet) across two

convenient fixtures (chairs, windows) above the table.

Take a table lamp or candle and place it about 2 feet

behind the screen. The light from this lamp falls on the

manipulated puppet, when the show is staged.

TO MAKE THE SETSTake modelling cardboard sheets and make cut-outs of

trees, houses, hills, clouds or waves according to the

story. Leaving a thick border, cut out the inner areas of

these shapes. Then, paste coloured glazed paper over

these spaces.

TO MAKE THE PUPPETSChoose your story and profile your characters on a

black chart paper or discarded X-ray sheets. Cut out

the characters and punch holes for the eyes and ears.

Cut out little squares or diamonds in the hems of the

characters’ dresses. Paste bits of coloured glazed

paper over these squares. Attach a broomstick to each

character with staples or fevicol. For characters that

can move their tails or limbs, make separate pieces for

the movable parts. Attach these pieces to the main body

with file clips. Attach a broomstick to these pieces

as well.

The stage is now set!

Plan your scenes,

dialogues and music.

Fix the backdrops

across the bottom of

the screen, though

cloud backdrops can

be fixed at the top

of the screen. The

puppeteers should sit

comfortably behind the

table, taking care not

to be seen behind the

screen. They should

move their puppets by

manipulating the broom

sticks and conduct

the show.

FOR AGES

6+

TIPShadow puppetry is a great

activity for those nights

when there is a power cut.

Project the shadow of your

puppets on a blank wall

with the help of a candle.

Alternatively, you can try

using your hands to cast

shadows of creatures like

dog, donkey or bird on

the wall. With songs and

dialogues to go with your

characters, you can have a

great time indeed!

8idea

Do-it- yourself toys

eadymade toys based on scientific

principles are easily available but some

of them can also be made at home.

Children derive greater pleasure

playing with these and incidentally, exhibit a

greater willingness to learn.

Super Strockets

YOU WILL NEEDScissors, Paper, Drinking

straws, Tape, Markers

HOW TOTell your child to:

CUT a piece of paper that is slightly shorter and wider

than a straw.

WRAP the paper around the straw forming a cylinder.

TAPE the cylinder so that it holds its shape and slides off

the straw easily.

TAKE the paper cylinder off the straw. Form an airtight

‘nose’ at one end of the cylinder by pinching and taping

it. To make sure it is airtight, insert the straw into the

cylinder and blow.

CUT fins for the cylinder. These could be triangle or

butterfly-wing shaped. Tape the fins to the cylinder.

DECORATE the rocket with a sticker or drawing.

INSERT the straw into the cylinder. Point the straw away

from people and blow into it to launch the rocket.

SCIENCE BEHIND THISSimple rockets use the force of compressed air to fly. By

quickly releasing the pressure, the expanding air exerts

a force that is channelled to propel an object upwards.

(SOURCE: Tech Museum of Innovation, California)

FOR

AGES

8+

Straw Spinner YOU WILL NEEDThick straw, Thin straw, Tape and Scissors

HOW TOHAVE the child fold the thick straw in half to locate the

centre. Nip (cut) the corners on both sides at the folded

end to get a diamond-shaped hole at the centre of

the straw.

THEN he should seal both the ends of the straw with

a tape.

AFTER this, he should nip triangle shapes at the taped

ends of the straw such that they are diametrically

opposite to each other.

THEN he should take the thin straw and cut a V-Shape at

one end of this.

HE should insert the cut end of the thin straw through

the cut out diamond shape at the centre of the

thick straw.

HAVE him shut one end of the thin straw with his finger

and blow into the other end to see the thick straw spin.

SCIENCE BEHIND THISNewton’s Third Law of Motion is exhibited in this toy. If

you apply a force in one direction, the same amount of

force is applied in the opposite direction. As you blow, the

air comes out of the straw at a greater pressure than

the air normally surrounding us. This applies a force.

When the other end of the straw is closed, the opposing

pressure makes the thick straw spin.

(COURTESY: Arvindguptatoys.com)

9ideas

& 10

Marble CoasterYOU WILL NEED Foam pipe insulation (the one having 3/4-inch diameter works best),

Scissors, Masking tape, 1 Marble, Paper (optional)

HOW TOHELP the child, only if needed, to cut the foam pipe insulation

lengthwise from the middle. The child will have two long strips, or

tracks, for his marble game.

TAPE the two tracks together to double the length of the original

insulation. Be careful before you allow the masking tape to be used

on furniture and walls. Tape can pull paint off the wall or the finish

off a table.

LET the child set up his marble coaster using the pipe and tape.

Encourage him to think about his design. How does it start? Can he

design a loop or a corkscrew? How many turns does it have?

HAVE him test each new curve or loop to see if the marble stays

on the track before he tapes it down. If necessary, he can make

tunnels with paper taped over the top of the track. He can repeat

this step as many times as needed.

NOW he is ready to tape down the track, release his marble and

watch it go!

SCIENCE BEHIND THISThe higher he starts the marble coaster, the more potential or

stored energy the marble will have. If the marble slows halfway up

a loop or hill, he may need to adjust the loop size or hill height to

keep the marble going. The start of the track can be raised to give

the marble more energy or to make the loop smaller. If the marble

falls off the curves or other places, change the angle and tilt of

the track.

(SOURCE: Tech Museum of Innovation, California)

Water WhirlieYOU WILL NEEDSturdy plastic cup, Hole punch or

scissors, String (3 to 4 feet long)

HOW TOHAVE your child punch two holes under the

rim on opposite sides of the cup.

THEN he should lace the string through the

holes and tie the ends together so that

the string forms a handle.

THEN he should fill the cup half way

with water and take the cup outside

where it is okay to splash.

HE should wrap the string handle

securely around the hand. He should

hang his arm down in such a way that

there is six inches of space between the

cup and the ground.

HE should swing the cup back and forth, taking

larger and larger swings every time. Then, he

should try swinging his arm and the cup in a

circle over his head without

slowing down.

HE should try to slow down

without splashing.

SCIENCE BEHIND THISWhen you spin the water-

filled cup in a circle,

you create centripetal

force. When you spin

the cup fast enough, you

create something called

centrifugal force, which

overcomes gravity. That is

why the water does not spill

out when the cup is upside

down. Centrifugal force is

the natural tendency of a

moving object to continue to

move in a straight line.

FOR AGES 8+

TIPIf he

masters the

movement,

the water

will not fall

off the cup!

He can try

doing the

same thing

with a bucket

of water.

In summer,

getting wet

should not be

a problem!

11ideas

& 12

RetroGamess children we played games, many of them traditional, that were

more than just fun. These games were designed to imbue us with

logical thinking skills, strategy-building skills, basic math skills and

more. While we learnt sportsmanship, we simultaneously developed

sensory skills, improved our motor skills, and learnt to be alert. These

games sometimes involved chants or songs that remain forever etched in

our memory. Here is a sampling of some games, which young children are

sure to enjoy.

A group of children sit down

and form a circle. One child,

however, is the post man, and

stands behind this circle. She

goes around the circle, swiftly

and noiselessly dropping a

handkerchief behind a child, even

as the other children are singing:

I sent a letter to my father

On the way I dropped it

The postman came and picked it up

And put it in his pocket

Once the handkerchief is dropped, the particular child

behind whom it is dropped, should sense it, get up and

chase the postman around the circle and catch her. If

she fails to realize that the handkerchief is right behind

her, and the postman completes a round, she is ‘out’ and

she becomes the next postman. If she spots the kerchief

but nevertheless fails to catch the escaping postman,

who manages to sit in the vacant spot left by her, she is

‘out’ and becomes the next postman.

A great game that is played on the beach or by the river

bank. Two children play this game. They face each other

with a mound of mud or sand between them. Looking only

at each other’s faces, one child hides a small object like

a shell or stone somewhere in the mound saying Keechu

keechu tambalam, kiya mutti tambalam, machu machu

tambalam, mayya mayya tambalam.

The other child has to correctly find the spot where the

object is hidden by placing his clasped hands, palms down

over the area where he thinks the object is. The child

that has hidden the object then uncovers the rest of the

area to reveal if the guess was right or not.

Keechu keechu tambalam Kerala

Postman, Postman England

13ideas

& 14

The children are divided into two teams that take

turns in either ‘hiding’ or ‘guessing’. The team

that has to guess goes away to a different room.

The hiding team selects one child to be hidden

as ‘muthukuruchi’ and another child to be the

watcher. The child to be hidden is covered under

a sheet. The rest of the team, other than the

watcher, goes into hiding. The ‘guessing team’ is

now called to guess who is hidden under the sheet.

They chant ‘muthukuruchi, muthukuruchi’. To this,

the child under the sheet responds by making a clicking gutteral sound in

his throat. Based on this sound, the other team has to correctly identify who is hidden under the

sheet. The ‘guessing team’ is given three chances to figure out who the hidden child is. If they

succeed, then the ‘muthukuruchi’ reveals himself and tries to catch a member of the ‘guessing

team’ as they run to a pre-selected safety zone. If the team either fails to guess correctly or one

of its members is caught, then it remains as the guessing team. Else, the two teams switch roles.

All the children squat on the floor and place their palms down on

the floor. They chant ‘ Aappadi thaappadi... gattup’, with each

word in the sequence being uttered by the next child. At the

end of it, the one who chants the last word catches the ear

of the child to her right. With her left hand, she holds on to

the hand of her neighbour on her left. All the other hands

are still facing palms down. The singing begins again,

one word at a time and in sequence. The game goes

on until all the hands are occupied - either holding

other hands or other ears. Then they slowly rise as a

group without breaking the chain and sway as they chant

collectively one last time. As there is a high chance of the

chain collapsing, the children burst into gleeful laughter.

Aappadi Thaappadi gulachi paapadi

Dhammak ladoo, tael padu,

Telangiche ekach paan.

Dhar ga paby hacch kaan

Chau mau, pitalitle pani peou.

Ek handa, gattup, don hande gattup

Muthu Kuruchi Tamil Nadu

15ideas

& 16

Aappadi thaappadi Maharashtra

Hopscotch Hopscotch is a universally popular game which is known as Paandi in Tamil

and Stapu in Hindi. Children enjoy this game which improves their motor

skills, fitness and estimation. A common way to play is by drawing a grid of

8 numbered boxes on the floor or sand, as shown. The player

stands outside the box numbered one and throws a small

stone into it. Then she hops over that box right into

box 2. She hops across the grid on one leg except in

boxes 4&5 and 7&8 where she lands with one foot in

each box (feet spread apart). At boxes 7 & 8 she turns

around and hops back. When she reaches box 1 she has

to land on top of the stone, pick it up and hop out of the grid.

Then she throws the stone inside box 2 and repeats the

steps, and does this till the stone has been thrown into all

the boxes.

There are many variations. A common variation is when the

stone is kicked while hopping from box to box, right across the

grid and back to the start point, without the stone touching the

lines of the grid or going out of the box.

Rules: You are ‘out’ if you step on the lines or if you throw the

stone inside the wrong box or on a line. The other player then

gets a chance.

Seven StonesThis is a game guaranteed to raise adrenaline levels. Having several variations,

this game involves two teams with equal number of members and seven stones. The

seven stones are stacked up, one on top of the other. A member of the first team

stands behind a designated boundary and tries to knock down the pile of stones with

a tennis ball. The team is given three tries to knock down the stones. Once the pile is

knocked down, the other members from the team have to rebuild the pile, without

being ousted by members from the opposing team, who try to hit their legs

below the knee with the ball. If any team member is hit before the pile is

rebuilt, the first team is out and the teams switch roles. If they succeed

in rebuilding without being ousted, then the first team gets a point and

another turn at building.

17ideas

& 18

Wheels19ideas

& 20

Carzoo CHOOSE two different listing ideas.

For example, car makes and names

of animals. Players take turns to play.

Player number 1 begins by naming a car model. For

example: Estilo.

WITHIN 15 seconds, player number 2 has to name an

animal that begins with O, the last letter of the word

Estilo. For example: Orangutan

CONTINUING in this manner, the next player has

15 seconds to name a different car make or model

that begins with N, the last letter of Orangutan. For

example: Nano.

NO repeats are allowed. If a player cannot think of a

car or an animal, he loses.

onGames

Licence Plate Bingo To play this

game, bring

along some

papers to serve

as game cards.

Get some pens

or pencils too.

You can also

print out game

cards ahead of

the travel. The

game has different variations, so the game cards can

have the names of states as one’s bingo squares or

random letters and numbers. As the players see the

states or letters and numbers on the passing licence

plates, they cross them off. The first player to get 5 in

a row wins, and it might be a good idea to keep a few

prizes on hand for the lucky winner.

statesFOR

AGES

6+

FOR AGES 6+

How often have you been asked “Are we there yet?”

each time you take a trip with your family? Here are

some games that will put an end to these questions and

keep the family entertained throughout.

Rhyme the Sign

THIS is a game that will have your family in fits of

laughter. It does not require any pen or paper; just a

person who can keep points.

AS you drive past a road sign, one of the players calls

the sign out loud. The road sign could be a sign like ‘No

Entry’ or it could be the name of a road or

a destination.

THE first player that comes up with a rhyming word or

phrase gets a point. For example: No Entry-Dysentery

or Delhi-Belly.

Spell a Car FIRST, for this game, you need to list all the car

models that your child knows. Write about ten to

fifteen such names.

PLAYERS set a time limit for the game.

THEN, when the time keeper says ‘Start’, each

player forms a complete sentence using words

starting with each letter of the car model in the

same sequence. For example: VOLKSWAGEN-

Very Old Lion King Sings With A Giraffe

Every Night.

THE first player to form her sentence calls out

‘Done’ and reads out the sentence to the other

players. Each word in the sentence earns 1 point.

THE play continues till one of the players reaches

a decided point (say 25 points).

chart54

32

21ideas

to 23

Spot that carMAKE a common chart, listing out various types and colours

of vehicles with points assigned to each. For example: A

blue Nano could be assigned 5 points while a Black BMW is

assigned 20 points.

THE player, who first spots a listed vehicle, gets the points

that have been assigned to the vehicle.

AS a bonus, if the player spots a construction equipment on

the road, he gets 100 points.

AT the end of your trip, the player with the most points is

the winner.

FOR AGES 8+FOR

AGES

8+

FOR

AGES

8+

TIPS

ADD skips, jumps and hops to change intensity.

INTRODUCE obstacles for variety. Ask your children

to crawl under a table, jump over a stool or loop

around a tree.

BE imaginative if the child gets bored of the same

route. For example, you may say, “Cross the river,

jump over the mountain, run across the desert, seven

times over. The magical key shall appear and you

shall have the power to slay the mighty dragon hiding

under the cave (bed)!”

idea

This exercise will bring about sustained

improvements in their endurance. This activity, even

if done partially half-an-hour before a meal, will

induce hunger in children. Tell your child to:

MAP a route inside or outside the house. Ask him to

walk around on the marked route say, 5 times in

3 minutes.

NEXT, he will have to run on the path 15 times within

10 minutes. Mark and notice if there is any progress

on a weekly basis.

Expend thatEnergy

Endurance Building

hildren have boundless energy

that can be channelized for their

long-term well-being. Inculcating

simple habits and practices in childhood

will go a long way in ensuring that the

child learns to stay fit, thus bringing

about a balance between the physical

and mental self.

FOR AGES 4+

24

Connect with the coreThe deep abdominal musculature and

connected muscles are the primary

posture builders, strength and power

generators and energy enhancers. It

pays to know how to keep them active.

Tell your child to:

INHALE deeply and as he slowly

exhales, tell him to gently contract the

musculature beneath the navel. He will

immediately feel the spinal alignment

changing and the set of his shoulders

altering. Let him stay focused in this

position for a few seconds.

TELL him to extend this while sitting,

standing or lying down and while doing

routine activities like watching TV

or walking.

Balance with nonchalanceBalance is an important physical quality. This exercise

will help your child maintain a

good balance:

ASK your child to walk in a straight

line on the floor, one foot in front of the other.

PLACE a book on his head, tell him to look straight

ahead, and walk normally.

TELL him to stand on one leg with his hands spread

apart. Time how long he can stay without swaying.

Ask him if he feels a difference between the right and

left sides of his body. Tell him to try this with his eyes

closed and observe how his perception changes.

Foster Posture A good posture is dependent on the vertebral column’s strength

and mobility. This activity will help your child adopt a good posture.

Tell her to:

GET on to the floor in a crawling position. Ask her to inhale and

look up, while making a valley with the lower back. Ask her to

exhale and simultaneously tuck chin to the chest and arch the lower

back, into the shape of a hill.

LET her round her shoulders so that the distance between her

shoulder blades increases. Then ask her to draw them back, pulling

them close together.

25ideas

to 27

FOR

AGES

6+

FOR AGES

10+

FOR

AGES

8+

This activity will improve your child’s

coordination.

Tell her to:

THROW a ball on a wall at different

angles each time and catch it. This can

be played as a game with two or more

people.

ASK her to throw objects having

different weights like a scarf, a ball

or a stone and catch them one by one.

Try different-sized objects.

Coordination& Reflex

Creative Movement This game will not only keep a group of children

engaged, but also improve their joint mobility.

SEAT them in a circle. A child starts with a movement,

say stamping and the rest of the group joins in and

stamps to the same beat. Then the next child stamps

her feet and adds a head nod and everyone else

repeats these movements. The movements keep

increasing in complexity as more moves are added.

This is a great activity to improve neuromuscular

coordination.

TO add variety, in the next round the person stamping

calls out ‘Monkey’ each time she stamps. Now, everyone

mimics this and then stops. The next person comes up

with another move and gives it a name which they all

repeat. After the entire group has taken turns naming

moves, the leader calls out a name and everyone has

to recollect the associated moves and perform it. Use

your creativity to add more variety to the movements.

(INPUT: Mrinalini Sekar, Blue Movement Circle)

28ideas

& 29

FOR

AGES

4+

FOR AGES

4+

World Explorer

Star gazingAs children, we loved to lie under the moonlit sky and

stare at all the stars. We would try to make sense of

the world above and give names to the different stars

out there. Now, with people and children

preferring to stay indoors, no one

really looks at the sky at night. Here

are some ideas to introduce your child

to the moon and the stars.

TAKE your child to the terrace and make him

observe the stars. A fun activity for the child would be

to count the stars and even give them their own names.

TELL your child to observe the stars carefully and trace

the position of the planets. He has to identify the planets

(with a little help from you) and then track the changes in

the position of the planets every day, for a week.

Tip: Log on to www.stellarium.org. It shows the position

of the stars and the planets as seen from each city.

AS expensive as it might be, it is a good idea to invest in

a telescope for your child. It will encourage him to use

it and get closer to the celestial world. Who knows, he

might even discover a planet of his own in the process!

TAKE him to the planetarium. He will probably be

‘starstruck’ and become inquisitive. You could also ask

him to make a presentation later, on what he observed at

the planetarium.

30idea

FOR AGES

6+oes your child want to

discover new worlds?

Here are some ideas to

get her started.

Is your child interested in learning about rainforests or the zoo

or even a desert or jungle? Dioramas are a fun way to recreate

these habitats and environments in three dimensions. Your child

needs to research the environment and then use her creativity and

imagination to make a diorama. As an example, we have shown you

how to recreate an under-the-sea environment.

An Under-the-Sea World YOU WILL NEEDShoebox, Coloured print-outs of fish / hand painted paper

fish, Sand, Pebbles, Hand-painted seaweeds, Corals,

Glue, Cellotape, Cling film

HOW TO

TAKE an empty shoebox, which has a detachable

lengthwise cover/flap on top. Remove this flap and keep

aside. Lay the shoe box on the side such that the open

end is facing you. You will be viewing the diorama from

this open side of the box.

PAINT the inside of the box blue to represent water.

BRUSH the bottom of the box with glue and pepper it with

sand, shells and pebbles.

PAINT and cut out seaweeds and coral from other

cardboard/paper and paste these along the three walls

and bottom of the shoe box.

TAKE different types of coloured fish (you could draw

and cut these out, or take coloured printouts from the

computer), fasten them to ends of strings and glue/tape

the strings to the underside of the top flap.

COVER the front of your diorama with cling film.

Make your own Diorama 31idea

FOR

AGES

6+

Q: Did any

dinosaurs evolve,

preferring land,

though they could

manage watery marshes? What did they eat?

A: Your child would probably find out that the

Edaphosaurus was one such animal. It was found 270

million years ago. It could both cool and heat its body

as needed on land, thanks to its body features. It had a

powerful skull and fed on shellfish from swampy areas. It

was a reptile.

Q: Shellfish? How unexciting. Were there any

animals like Tyrannosaurus Rex in this period,

hunting and eating more ponderous looking dinos?

A: 240 million years ago, one of the very first two-legged,

flesh-eating dinosaurs Ornithosuchus appeared. This was

a ferocious reptile (yes this age had more of amphibians

and reptiles), armoured with bony plates under the skin,

4 metres long, 1 metre high and an efficient killer!

Q: What did it eat?

A: Some reptilian herbivores had also evolved by then,

like the Lessemsaurus, which it ate.

Q: Were there any bird dinos?

A: Look up the Protoavis. Some experts still think that it

is a reptile, looking a bit like a bird.

This can lead to

more questions

about where the

Protoavis lived,

what it ate and

so on, continuing

the never-ending

trail.

32idea

FOR AGES

6+

TIPSimilar trails can be devised to

study other dinosaur periods,

animals and their habitats,

countries and cultures.

Follow the dinosaurs

Trails are a great way for your child to explore an area

of his interest. When you devise trails for children, you

should follow the triggers in their thought processes,

make them ask questions, help them research answers

and take them forward. Answers to earlier questions

lead to more questions and a long trail...

Here, we are providing a sample trail tracing the

evolution of the dinosaurs in the Triassic Period (300

million to 240 million years ago). In this trail, we have

listed out some questions as well as answers. This is

mainly to give you an idea of the types of questions that

you can ask your child or which can arise in the child’s

mind. Notice how one answer leads to another question

and thus evolves into an unending trail of exploration.

In your own trail, do not reveal the answers. Encourage

your child to ask the questions and research the

answers with your prompts and guidance.

Q: What were the first dinosaurs on Earth like?

And why? What was their habitat?

A: The first dinosaurs (they were actually more pre-

historic animals and not quite like the Dinos of the

Jurassic period) were amphibians. Life began in the seas

around 3,500 million years ago. Not till 420 million years

ago did plants, insects and worms move on to dry land.

The first fish appeared 400 million years ago and 20

million years later some fish had developed the ability

to move about on land. They were amphibians, the first

animals with backbones to walk on land. The Eryops, 300

million years ago, was a 1.5 metre long amphibian that

could live in desert-like conditions. It walked clumsily on

land but laid its eggs in water.

Q: Frogs are amphibians, aren’t they? Were there

any frog dinosaurs? A: Your child could do some research on this, but the

answer is Mastodonsaurus (280 million years ago). This

animal had a huge head, but weak legs, making it clumsy

on land. It laid its eggs in water.

HistoryMystery

istory can be made fun and interesting if your

child is going to be involved in practical activities

relating to the subject and ‘life’ is breathed into it.

Me, Myself & My

FamilyHistory is also about you,

not just kings and queens.

Have you ever wondered

about the lives of your great

grandmothers and fathers,

and did it become too late

to retrieve significant

information about them?

Surely you would want

your child to be aware

of his roots. He will

be interested too,

particularly if he is told

that he got his green

eyes from a paternal

grandaunt and that he had

the same mannerisms as

his maternal grandfather! It

will motivate your child to draw

a family tree when he is told that a remote

uncle in the family was an adventurer and

had a shade of notoriety attached to him! So

inspire him to draw one, and learn more about the family.

Depending on his age, you can either help him with this

exercise, or ask him to do it by himself.

33idea

NISHANTH meNAVYA

KUNALPRIYA

b 2003 b 2009

b 1979 b 1979

m 2000

ASHA VINOD

b 1984b 1982

RAJIV

b 1980

m 2006

MANAV

b 2007

NATHANUSHA

m 1977

SIVAM

m 1978

UMA

b 1957

b 1950 - d 2006

b 1952 b 1958

FOR

AGES

8+

HOW TO

Some suggested steps to get the child started:

i) Work out how big the family tree will be. Will he stop with

immediate family (parents and siblings)? Is he going to include

aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and earlier generations?

ii) Boys and girls should be represented as squares and

circles, respectively. Your child should begin with himself, as

a square in the centre at the bottom of the page and write his

name on it.

iii) He should then draw his brothers and sisters next to

himself in little squares and circles. Older siblings will be to his

left while the younger ones will be to his right.

iv) Now, he needs to draw a square and a circle above himself

and write the names of his parents in them. Draw lines as

shown to connect the parents to the children.

v) After this, uncles, aunts and cousins, grandparents

and others can be added, making the tree larger as more

information is gleaned. Musing at the museumVisiting your local art or science

museum with your children is one sure

way of making history interesting.

Organise a museum trip with your

children and ask them to note down

the exhibits they find fascinating. The

museum and you will be able to provide

only limited information to the children.

Once you are home, ask your children to

do more research on the exhibits they

have chosen. They can start by asking

friends or grandparents for information.

The Internet and books hold a wealth

of information that they can use to

research their subjects. Later, let them

share this information with siblings

and friends.

TIP: Do not force them to learn or

become a teacher breathing down their

necks. Just give them a gentle nudge

now and then, if they show interest!

34idea

FOR

AGES

6+

TIPSThe child can:

ADD details to the tree. Write ‘m’ for married, ‘b’ for born

(b. 1960) or ‘d’ for death (d. 2000) and more.

TO make the family tree look attractive, he can paste

pictures of the family members in the circles and squares

(You could help him scan old photos from the albums,

instead of cutting them out).

FIND out fun facts like who shares an interest in science

like him and share his findings with you.

ASK all your family members for information about their

interests, what they do, where they lived, their favourite

movies or books, any interesting story they may have

about themselves and compile the data. When he is done,

you will be surprised to see the wealth of information he

has in his hands, some of which was not known to you!

CREATE a book of ‘My Family History’ using all the

information gathered.

Tech Tonic

Narration www.storynory.com - This is an online treasure-trove

of free audio stories beautifully read by professional

actors. Original stories, poems, fairytales, myths and

histories-you will find them all here. Children of all ages

will soon be hooked on to these stories.

www.kidslearntoblog.com - Blogging is a great way

for children to express their ideas and get involved in

writing. This site is a wonderful resource that provides

the latest information on Internet security and safe

blogging for children below13 years of age.

It teaches children the best ways to blog

and improve their writing skills. It also

provides links to free blogging sites for

children that support and encourage

learning.

www.storyjumper.com - Children

of all ages can script and illustrate

stories, fairy tales or create treasure

maps and calendars on this site. In

short, imagination is the limit. They

can publish their stories on the site

and read stories written by other

children. The site also teaches

your children how to write a story.

Exploration

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/ - The site

is teeming with activities involving animals, science,

crafts and pets for children 6 to 14 years of age.

For the tiny tots, parents can visit http://kidsblogs.

nationalgeographic.com/littlekids/ and help the little ones

navigate the site.

http://kids.discovery.com/ - Discovery Channel’s

website involves children 6 to 12 years of age in

activities ranging from puzzles to quizzes and games

omputers and the digital world fascinate children.

The Internet is teeming with websites catering to

your child’s areas of interest. If your child loves

movies and is curious about filmmaking, help her get

started with the basics of editing with Windows Movie

Maker. You can also download ebooks onto your iPad,

Kindle or other digital devices for easy access to your

child’s favourite books. Have fun visiting the sites.

based on everything under the sun like history, science,

health, machine, people and places.

Space

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/flash/

index.html - If your 6- to 12-year-old child is fascinated by

space and astronauts, this is a site that provides reliable

information on space-related topics, as well as games,

web quests, and even chats with NASA experts. This site

is maintained by the US space agency that sends people

into outer space.

Programming

http://scratch.mit.edu/ - This is an engaging

site for budding programmers. Scratch is a

programming language that allows children

to create their own interactive stories,

animations, games, music, and art -

and share them on

the web.

While engaging in this process,

the children will learn important

mathematical and computational

ideas, learn to think creatively, reason

systematically, and work collaboratively.

It is intended especially for 8- to 16-year-olds, but

younger children can work on Scratch projects with their

parents or older siblings.

Gaming

www.lumosity.com - This site has been designed

to ‘improve your brain health and performance’ with

many interactive games like puzzles, logical thinking

programmes, and memory-building games. It is a

membership-based site, suitable for teens and adults.

35idea

to 39

(INPUTS: CurioKidz)

Young Scientist

cience is an imaginative adventure of the mind seeking

truth in a world of mystery.”

CYRIL HERMAN HINSHELWOOD

(Nobel Prize winner, 1956)

Identifying adulteration

In Chilli PowderYOU WILL NEED

Chilli powder samples from

the market and water in a

container.

HOW TO

Ask your child to sprinkle

the chilli powder in the

container of water. Make

sure he does this gently

so that it does not get

into his eyes. If chilli

powder is adulterated with

sawdust, it will float. If it

is adulterated with added

colour, the water will

become coloured.

In Coconut OilYOU WILL NEED

Coconut oil samples,

container to hold the oil, a

refrigerator or ice box.

HOW TO

Usually, coconut oil is

adulterated with other

oils. To check the purity of

the coconut oil, the child

should put it in the container

and freeze it. A separate

layer of the oil used for

adulteration will form a

conspicuous layer above the

frozen oil.

In MilkYOU WILL NEED

Milk, dropper, black paper,

tincture of iodine.

HOW TO

The child should put

some drops of milk on the

black paper. If the milk is

adulterated with water,

it will flow fast and will

not leave a white trail.

Unadulterated milk flows

slowly, leaving a trail.

If you suspect that the milk

is adulterated with starch,

tell the child to add a drop

of tincture of iodine to

warm milk. It will turn blue

if it is adulterated.

40idea

FOR AGES

6+

(Courtesy: Sultan Ismail; Simpletasksgreatconcepts.wordpress.com)

In HoneyYOU WILL NEED

Honey samples from the

market, match sticks,

cotton swabs.

HOW TO

Honey is usually

adulterated with molasses

or sugar. The child should

fix the cotton swab to the

matchstick. He should dip

this into the honey and

light it. If the honey is

adulterated, it will burn

with a crackling sound.

Colouring flowers & plants

YOU WILL NEED

Water, Scissors, Food colouring, Jar, Plastic cup or Test

tube, A white flower (preferably a long-stemmed one)

HOW TO

FILL the cup with water.

ADD a few drops of food colouring.

CUT the end off the stem (stalk) of the flower.

PUT the flower in water.

The child will see that the flower absorbs the colour

of the food colouring after some hours. The child can

substitute the flower with celery stalk having leaves. She

should slit the stalk carefully from the bottom and put

each end in different cups with different food colourings.

The celery should soon have leaves in two different

colours.

SCIENCE BEHIND THIS

Plants not only absorb water from the atmosphere

through their leaves, they suck water through their

stems. If the child cuts a longer slit in the celery stalk

used in the experiment, she can see that the little holes

inside are coloured.

FOR AGES

7+

YOU WILL NEED

Glass slides, Light bulbs of varied sizes,

(40 watts, zero watts and a torch

light bulb), Water and Oil.

HOW TO

1 The child should take a glass slide. Even a broken

glass pane works but children should be careful handling

this. (Glass slides are available with school lab equipment

suppliers, and you could google for the shop near your

residence). He should rub a thin layer of oil on both sides.

He should then gently place a drop of water on the slide.

The water drop sits on the slide and makes a plano

convex lens. Now have him take a look at small print

through the droplet.

Quickly make him invert the slide so that the droplet will

be ‘hanging down’ instead of ‘sitting up’. Tell him to place

another drop right on top of the previous drop to make

a double convex lens, and try to read the small print. (A

double convex lens is symmetrical across its vertical and

horizontal axis, while a plano convex lens has one side

flat and the other spherical. Both are positive lenses

producing real images.)

2 Remove the filaments of all three bulbs and make

your child half fill them with water. The water surface

with the bulb curvature makes a plano convex lens. The

child should now observe a small object or print through

all the three bulbs. The torch bulb with the least radius

magnifies the most, because magnification is inversely

proportional to the radius of curvature.

(Courtesy: Sultan Ismail;

Simpletasksgreatconcepts.wordpress.com )

Make your own magnifying glass

41ideas

FOR AGES

4+

& 42

Chemical reactions make for some great experiments.

Use the carbon dioxide given off by the reaction of

baking soda and lemon juice by funnelling the gas through

a soft drink bottle. Blowing up balloons was never

so easy!

YOU WILL NEED Balloon, About 40 ml of water (a cup is about

250 ml, so you do not need much), Soft drink bottle,

Drinking straw, Juice from a lemon, 1 teaspoon of

baking soda

HOW TO

BEFORE the child begins, make sure that he stretches

out the balloon to make it as easy as possible to inflate.

Then, he should pour the 40 ml of water into the soft

drink bottle.

NEXT, he should add the teaspoon of baking soda and

stir it around with the straw until it has dissolved.

NEXT, he should pour the lemon juice

into the bottle and quickly place the open

end of the stretched balloon over the

mouth of the bottle. If all goes well, then

the balloon should inflate!

SCIENCE BEHIND THIS Adding the lemon juice to the baking

soda creates a chemical reaction. The

baking soda is a base, while the lemon

juice is an acid. When the two combine,

they create carbon dioxide (CO2). The

gas rises up and escapes through the

soft drink bottle. It does not however

escape the balloon, pushing it outwards

and blowing it up. If you do not have any

lemons, then vinegar can be substituted

for the lemon juice.

Taste-testing without smell

Blowing Balloons with CO2

We all know that some foods taste

better than others but what gives

us the ability to experience all

these unique flavours? This simple experiment shows

that there is a lot more to taste than you might have

first thought.

YOU WILL NEED

A small piece of peeled potato, a piece of peeled apple

(identical in shape to the potato)

HOW TO

CLOSE your eyes and mix up the piece of potato and

the piece of apple so that the child does not know which

is which.

SHE should hold her nose and eat a piece of each. Ask

her if she can tell you the difference.

FOR AGES

6+

SCIENCE BEHIND THIS Holding your nose

while tasting the potato and

apple makes it hard to tell

the difference between the

two. Your nose and mouth are

connected through the same

airway which means that you

taste and smell foods at the

same time. Your sense of taste

can recognize salty, sweet, bitter

and sour, but when you combine

this with your sense of smell, you

can recognize many other individual ‘tastes’. Take away

your smell (and sight) and you limit your brain’s ability to tell

the difference between certain foods.

FOR

AGES

7+

(Source: Sciencekids.co.nz)

43ideas

& 44

Invention Corner

45idea

hildren have lots of

imagination and ideas,

some of them in the realm of

what you consider, ‘crazy’, ‘silly’ or ‘unrealistic’. Why

not encourage them to translate these ‘silly’ ideas into a

reality, by helping them with the necessary mentorship,

research, tools and materials? Some of these crazy

ideas have become inventions we cannot do without

today. A couple of centuries ago, whoever dreamt of a

flying vehicle or talking picture boxes or even of lights

at night, must have been considered weird. So let your

children experiment, fail, learn and try again. Who knows,

your child may become the next Edison or Graham Bell!

Here are some ideas to jumpstart children into thinking

the ‘whats’, ‘ifs’ and ‘hows’. Encourage them to

think out of the box.

CHALLENGE: There are lots of materials lying around

the house that you can give to the children to experiment

with: newspapers, matchboxes, cardboard, old pencils,

CD’s, empty bottles or cans to name a few. What kind of

creations or new uses can your child

come up with these?

IDEA SPARK: Newspaper hats,

costumes, flying planes, bins.

Cardboard playhouses,

cars, planes,

lampshades, clock.

Matchbox cars,

chairs, tables.

Bottle garden,

walls, houses.

Around the houseFOR

AGES

5+

CHALLENGE: Does your child enjoy playing board

games? Maybe she would like to create her own game or

add new rules and twists to her favourite game to make

it more funny or challenging. If your child is into outdoor

games or needs encouragement to play outside, have her

devise her own games that she will enjoy playing with

her friends.

IDEA SPARK: Does your child have a favourite book?

How about a board game based on the characters and

theme of the book?

What about Cricket Monopoly or Fashion Monopoly?

Barbie or Thomas the Tank Engine Uno game?

Football Cricket? Frisbee Soccer? Hockey + Wooden

Disk Hopscotch?

Invent a Game

46ideas

& 47

Popsicle was not invented by any frizzy hair scientist

but by a 11-year-old, Frank Epperson. It was called the

Epsicle back then. Frank left his drink outside on the

porch overnight with the stir stick in it. That night, the

temperature dropped and froze everything, including

Frank’s drink. That didn’t stop him from tasting it and we

had the Popsicle!

CHALLENGE: A kitchen is like a chemistry lab with many

different ingredients to experiment with. Leave your child

in the kitchen to create his own recipe even if you think it

may not work. He may soon be a contender for

Master Chef!

Caution: Supervise younger children in the kitchen in

their use of knives and around hot stoves, ovens and

cooking dishes.

IDEA SPARK: Your child is perhaps wondering:

What happens if I freeze yoghurt or tofu?

In the Kitchen

Can I bake dosa dough?

How will chilli ice cream taste?

Rice and peanut butter?

Fried Ice cream?

Curd is usually made by adding a little of it as a culture

to warm milk. Can I use other ingredients in the kitchen

as culture instead of curd?

What happens if I beat up egg and add maida, milk,

butter, apples and cinnamon powder to it. What should

be the proportions and consistency? Should I add baking

powder or baking soda or both? Should I bake it or make

a pancake? What should be the baking temperature?

How long should it bake?

FOR AGES

5+

FOR

AGES

7+

Jungle Safari

CHALLENGE: Give your child

a bucket of soapy water and

have her find a way to

purify it.

IDEA SPARK: Provide

materials like alum, sand,

coal, gravel, pebbles,

clay, loamy soil, bricks,

twigs of gooseberry

tree, canna plants

and several

buckets or large

cans. It helps to

provide a tap or

opening at the bottom of

the buckets/can to let the purified

water out.

What is the optimum mixture of

the ingredients that makes for the

best purifying

system? Should

they be used in

layers? Which

combination of

materials calls

for the least

maintenance?

How should

the buckets

be arranged?

Should they

be positioned

at different

heights?

48idea

Recycling Waterto

49

TIPYour child can research

the various filtering agents

suggested. She can pick out

the appropriate ones and

try out various combinations

before arriving at her own

formulae. Are there other plant

substitutes for canna?

Engineering challenges

CHALLENGES:

TIE a rope taut between two chairs or two hooks. The

challenge is to take a coin across the rope from one end

to the other using any material - pulleys, Legos, toy cars,

straws, balloons, cups, tape and so on.

MAKE a rocket using tape, straws and balloons.

BUILD bridges with toothpicks and tape or straws and

tape. How stable and strong is the bridge? How much

weight can it hold?

MAKE a catapult using cycle tubes and a bow with cycle

spokes. Use other material as required.

USE a broom stick and cycle tube to make various

shapes such as triangle, squares or spheres.

PICK-UP-TONGS - Have your child devise a gadget to

help pick up garbage on the roads or beach without

touching the garbage. You can provide PVC pipes, sticks,

rubber bands, banding strap, duct tape, sheet metal

screws or anything else you can think of.

IDEA SPARK: Several sites on the Internet can help with

design hints and ideas and the physics behind

these challenges.

FOR

AGES

10+

Matho’magicoes your child fear Math? Games, kits and puzzles

help children think logically, explore the underlying

facts and extend these concepts - all in an

enjoyable manner.

Tic-tac-toe for math maniacsODD OR EVEN

We can play this game using 0s and 1s. Each

player chooses to place either a ‘0’ or a ‘1’ in

each square. The players takes turns placing

their chosen digit in the squares. Before the

start of each game, decide if the winning sum

is odd or even. The first player to achieve it

either horizontally or vertically or diagonally is

the winner.

Example: Odd

Even

Alternatively, use digits 1-9 to form odd or

even combinations.

MAKE 15

The players take turns placing

the numbers 1 to 9 in each of the

squares. The first player to obtain

the sum of 15 using 3 numbers either

horizontally, vertically or diagonally

is the winner.

OTHER VARIATIONS

The same tic-tac-toe can be played

by changing the rules of the game.

Use the numbers from 1 to 9 to

form mathematical equations either

horizontally, vertically or diagonally

to win the game.

Example: 1+3=4 and 4-1=3

This game helps the child practice basic addition and

subtraction.

The same game can be extended by choosing a higher

range of numbers and by using multiplication and

division facts.

1 1

1 1

0 0

0

35

1

0 1

1

0

FOR

AGES

6-8

50idea

3

1

7 5

4

9 5

Numbers TriangleUSE numbers from

1 to 6 to fill in the

blanks in such a

way that each side

of the triangle has

the same sum. For

example, if the sum

is 12, place 4,5,6 in the vertices.

TO get the same sum 12 for each

side, where will you place 1,2,3?

THINK, is this the only possible way?

What other numbers could be placed

at the vertices? What are the other

possible sums of the sides?

EXTEND AND EXPLORE

For the above, what other six

numbers can be selected to fill up

the blanks?

IF ‘5’ is the first number, then ’10’ will

be the last number.

IF ‘x’ is the first number, what is the

last number?

IS it necessary to select only

consecutive numbers? How about

even numbers only or odd number

only? What about multiples of a

number?

GeoboardThe younger ones can start

with exploring different

shapes, while the older ones

can explore perimeters and

areas using this board.

HOW TO FIT nails or screws at fixed

one-inch intervals on an

acrylic or wooden board.

STRETCH rubber bands

around the screws to make

any geometrical shape. Now

your child can easily calculate

the area and perimeter of

the shapes.

5 6

4

FOR

AGES

10+51ideas

& 52

IF the side is

extended by

including one more

number for each

side, can you find

the strategies of

the game? Here

we need to select nine numbers.

Start with placing numbers 1-9 so

that all sides add up to the same

sum.

(COURTESY: Vijayalakshmi Raman of

Dots ‘N’ Digits)

(COURTESY: http://www.arvindguptatoys.

com/toys/geoboard.html by Arvind Gupta)

MAKE GEOMETRIC SHAPES

CALCULATE THE AREA

OF A TRIANGLE

AREA OF SQUARE ACDE = AREA OF

SQUARE ABGF + AREA OF SQUARE BHIC

(AC)² = (AB)² + (BC)²

FOR

AGES

3-12

Don’t throw away the plastic bottles you have at home.

They can serve as pots to keep in your balcony. Make a

coin size hole in the middle of each bottle. Fill the bottles

with manure and mud mixed in equal proportions (you

can get organic fertilizers from any nursery). Fill the

holes by pushing in the seeds of the vegetables you like -

tomato, lady’s finger or brinjal. Water mildly, every day.

Your child will be surprised to see plants growing out of

the little holes. In three weeks, you will have your own

vegetable source.

To feed a family of 4, you will need at least 12

such bottles.

Bottle Garden

FOR AGES

2-4For the

little ones, the obvious fun lies in

watering the plants.

Leaf ArtTAKE a walk in your

neighbourhood.

OBSERVE the sizes, shapes and

colours of the leaves around you.

COLLECT leaves of different

shapes and colours. Place the

leaves between 2 sheets of paper

and weigh them down between

heavy books to dry them out.

CREATE your own leaf art and

use it to make crafts like cards

and book marks.

Nurture Nature53ideas

& 54

FOR

AGES

7+

The fun lies in using

the tools – spades,

rakes and snippers are

always in demand.

I only went out for a walk and finally concluded

to stay on till sun down; for going out, I found

was really going in.

JOHN MUIR

Nurture NaturePlant your namePREPARE a soil bed in your yard

using garden soil (loamy soil).

Alternatively, take a plastic tray

and make small holes in the tray

in a scattered fashion to allow

drainage and fill with garden soil.

HAVE the child draw his initials

or name in the soil using a stick.

Sprinkle methi (fenugreek) or ragi

seeds, that have been soaked

overnight, along the drawn letters.

Water the seeds and watch your

child’s name sprout and grow in a

few days.

IF a tray is being used, mildly

sprinkle water on alternate days

and cover the soil with a net. This

will facilitate the sprouting.

Earth: The apple of our eyeA LESSON THAT TEACHES US THE

IMPORTANCE OF PROTECTING OUR LAND

RESOURCES

TAKE an apple and cut it into four equal

parts. Three parts represent the

oceans of the world. The

fourth represents the

land area.

SLICE this land into

half. Now you have

two one-eighth pieces.

Set aside one of the

pieces. The portion set aside

represents the land area which

cannot be inhabited - deserts, mountains, the polar

ice caps and swamps. The other one-eighth represents the land where

human beings live.

SLICE this 1/8th section crosswise into four equal parts.

THREE of the 1/32 sections represent areas - 1) where the soil is not

arable, 2) where the soil, even if cultivable, has been encroached by

sprawling urban structures, and 3) government-mandated forest reserves

and other such bio-sphere parks. Carefully peel the skin off the last 1/32

section. This small bit of peel represents the top soil of our earth, that all

of us depend on for food. Protecting this land resource is, therefore,

very important.

55& 56

ideas

Understanding

which plant

to water, how

much and how

often will be of

interest.

FOR

AGES

9+

Your holiday bag should contain a book on trees and plants.

FOR AGES

12+

Lines & Strokes57idea

Elementary exercises. These preliminary exercises help develop visual perception and

realistic drawing skills in the child. Draw a grid with different shapes and patterns as shown in the

sample. Have the child copy these shapes and patterns in the grid below. The confidence of line and

accuracy is not as important as the number and type of shapes/lines that need to get drawn and the

relationship of the shapes to one another. Shown below are sample exercises that can be given at

different levels.

Negative space. Drawing negative space is a

trick that helps one draw more realistically in any art

medium or style. In positive space drawing, we draw

the shape of the object. Often, in this type of drawing,

we draw our assumptions of the object.

To overcome this judgemental aspect of drawing, we draw the

negative space wherein we draw the space in and around the object.

Your child can practise ‘seeing’ and drawing negative spaces.

Draw a free hand circle measuring about 6” in diameter. Ask your

child to place her palm face down in the circle and shade the negative

spaces between the contours of her fingers. Ask her to imagine what

it looks like.

w

Developing Drawing skills

....................................................................................................................................... ..............................

....................................................................................................................................................

s

C hildren are born artists. Encourage them to explore art by allowing them to experiment with

various materials. The ideas given here

introduce your child informally to the basic

elements of visual art - line, shape, form,

colour and texture.

FOR

AGES

4+

FOR

AGES

7+

Lines & StrokesTIP: Clothesline GalleryIs your child fond of churning out innumerable colourful artworks? Why not hold an

exhibition of his artworks along with those of his friends? How about organizing

a clothesline gallery on an available terrace? All you need to do is to hang the

pictures from a clothesline, using pegs. Invite friends and neighbours to view the

gallery and have the children describe their work and receive compliments!

Colours & TexturesPaints & Patterns

Hide the paint brush and give the child a toothbrush,

a sponge or even a blunt-edged knife to apply paint to

paper. Can your child think of other tools to use?

Remember using sliced lady’s finger or other vegetables

to make impressions with paint? Have your child

experiment with natural materials to create patterns.

Textured paper

ASK the child to grate crayons, using a cheese grate,

onto a coloured sheet of paper. Have her paint over it

with a contrasting colour. The crayon pieces stick to the

paper because of the paint.

HAVE your child apply water colour on a sheet of paper.

Have her sprinkle crystallized/rock salt in some areas

while the paper is still wet, to create interesting

grainy textures.

Wax resist

YOU WILL NEED: Crayons, Paper, Poster paint

HOW TO: Ask your child to draw motifs of her choice

with bright coloured crayons. She should then brush

across the entire sheet with paint and water, mixed

together in a milky consistency. The crayon areas will

resist the paint and the motifs will show up interestingly.

Sgraffito

Give your child a sheet of paper and crayons in bright

colours. Have the child colour the entire sheet with

various colours of crayons. Paint over this design with

thick poster paint. When the paint dries, let the child use

a pointed tip such as a compass needle or a toothpick

and scratch through the top layer of paint in different

patterns to reveal the colour underneath.

58idea

FOR

AGES

6+

Splatter matter. Creating

interesting creatures out of splashes of

paint or ink is an exciting art activity for children.

YOU WILL NEED: Ink pad, Black micro tip pen, Water

colour paper (Sketch books with slightly textured thicker

paper are available in the market), Coloured inks, Paints,

Wide brushes, Straws

Thumb Art

HOW TO: Have your child press his thumb on an ink pad

and then make a thumb impression on paper. Let the

thumbprint dry. Let him use his imagination to create

animals out of his thumbprint.

Ink Blobs

HOW TO: Let the child splatter ink directly on paper,

using a brush. Let the blob dry. He can then add features

to the blob to create characters.

Blow art HOW TO: Blow watery paint through a straw on paper.

Let the resulting splatters dry. Add squiggles to

create characters.

Word Art. Is your child excited by unusually written

signs? Does she see letters as shapes or figures? Ask

her to try her hand at some word art. Take a word, say

‘rain’. She can write the letters RAIN using rain drops. Or

she can write out the word BEACH with sun, sand

and waves.

Shape them up! To stimulate your child’s

imagination, give a simple shape such as a circle or a

triangle and ask your child to make interesting drawings

using this shape. You can suggest a list of objects to be

created from these shapes - angry man, car or tree.

Imaginative Art

59idea

FOR

AGES

6+

60idea

Wax crayon art Here is a spectacular colour riot! Your

child will love this absorbing art activity

where beautiful rainbow colours emerge

almost magically.

YOU WILL NEED

Crayons, Canvas, 1 tube of Fevicol, Hair dryer,

Old newspapers

HOW TO

STEP 1:

Have the child select the crayons in the colours he wants

to use and paste them on the canvas in any pattern he

likes. Make sure that there is enough white space beyond

the crayon tip, as melting crayon colours will run from

these ends.

STEP 2:

Place the canvas against the wall. Line the adjacent

areas (wall and floor) with newspapers to protect them

from the splattering paint. Have the child switch on the

hair-dryer, starting with the high and warm settings and

alternating with low, aiming the hot air on to the tips of

the crayons. He has to experiment a little to see how the

hair-dryer melts the wax. If he wants the wax to melt and

drip in a particular direction, he has to rotate the

canvas accordingly.

FOR

AGES

5+

Crafty Creations

Pottery without the potter’s wheel!

YOU WILL NEED

River clay (available with roadside potter), Poster/

Acrylic paints, Water

HOW TO

Add water to river clay to make a chappathi-like dough.

Pat a palm-sized ball of clay into a flat circle about 3 inch

in diameter to make the base of your pot. Roll a smaller

ball of clay into a rope about ½ inch thick that is long

enough to go around the circumference of the base. Coil

this length along the ridge of the base. Keep adding coils

one on top of the other, narrowing as you go upwards.

Make sure to pinch the coils together lightly. When you

have the desired height, pinch the mouth of your pot

to the desired shape. Let it dry in the sun till the pot

hardens. Paint as you wish!

61idea

Coil Pottery

DID YOU KNOW?SCORING, FOLDING, CURLING,

QUILLING and PLEATING are the most

commonly needed skills for paper craft?

Learn how to from our video at

www.parentcircle.in

Children need to play with

mud, fool around with

colours and dough and

get their hands dirty. So instead

of being fussy, allow them to

become creative.

FOR

AGES

8+

Crafty CreationsCoil Pottery

23ideas

62idea

Tie & Dye ScarfThis is an easy way to create pieces of

exotic fabric! Design your own fabric to make

handkerchiefs, dupattas and whatever else

you want.

YOU WILL NEEDRequired size of white cotton cloth, 100 grams

channa, Cloth dye powder in your desired

colours (available in craft stores), Twine or

rubber bands, Salt/vinegar & water for fixative

HOW TO

SOAK your new white cloth overnight to

remove the starch from it.

SOAK again in a fixative for 10 minutes.

The fixative can be made by either adding

1/2 cup salt to 8 cups of cold water or by

mixing 1 part vinegar with 4 parts

cold water.

DRY the cloth thoroughly.

PLACE one channa in the centre of your cloth.

Wrap the channa with the cloth and bind

tightly with twine or rubber bands. Tie other

channa similarly, in any pattern you wish.

SOAK the fabric in the dye for 2 to 3 hours.

Sun-dry completely.

UNTIE the channa and find a beautiful bandhini

pattern on your white fabric. You can try a 2

colour combination by first dying the plain fabric

in a light colour and then tying the channa and

dyeing in another darker colour. Make sure the

cloth dries completely between the

dyeing processes.

INSTEAD of channa, experiment with other

materials such as coins, rice and stones.

TO MIX DYE:

Bring to boil a

litre of water. Add

one tablespoon of

dye powder and

stir.

FOR AGES

8+

Play dough is a versatile material helping with

tactile development in children. It is a great

therapy for calming hyperactive children. Here is

an easy homemade play dough recipe, coloured

with natural ingredients.

YOU WILL NEED2 cups maida, 1 cup salt, 1 tablespoon cooking oil,

1/3 to1/4 cup cooled vegetable dye*

HOW TOMix all the ingredients to make a smooth dough

that has the consistency of a chappathi dough.

For different colours of play dough prepare the

same mixture using different colour dyes. Keep

dough in refrigerator, wrapped in cling film.

Homemade Play Dough

Chop plant material into small pieces

and place in a pot. Add water in the

ratio of 2 cups for every cup of plant

material. Bring to a boil, and simmer

for about an hour. Strain.

PINK TO MAGENTA: Beetroot

GREEN: Spinach

RED: Hibiscus

YELLOW TO ORANGE: Add 4

tablespoons of ground turmeric (or

more if you want a stronger colour)

to about a litre of water in a large

stainless steel (not aluminium) vessel

and stir with a wooden or plastic

spoon. Bring to a boil and simmer for

about 15 minutes.

NOTE: Colours will appear lighter in

play dough.

*Vegetable dye recipes

FOR AGES

3+

63idea

Papier Mache Balloon Puppet

FOR

AGES

10+64idea

Make fun heads and prop them onto sticks or umbrella frames to

make large puppet characters

YOU WILL NEED

Medium sized balloons, Twine/rubber bands, Old newspapers,

Water, Fevicol or Maida paste, Poster paints, Jute rope

HOW TOSOAK torn bits of newspaper in water.

BLOW a balloon to maximum capacity. Secure with a piece of twine

or rubber band. Remove a bit of soaked newspaper from the water

and smear with fevicol.

PASTE it on the balloon. Keep pasting in this manner till the entire

surface is covered leaving a small gap at the secured end of the

balloon. Let the pasted balloon dry completely in the sun.

ADD more such layers over a period of 2-3 days allowing each

layer to dry completely. Deflate the balloon and remove it from the

papier mache shell.

PAINT a face on the shell. For the hair, attach painted

jute rope strings to the head using cellotape.

TO USE AS A PUPPET

INSERT a sturdy stick or an umbrella frame in the

hole in the head.

FOLD a dupatta into two and using a small portion of the

folded end at the top, make a knot around the stick and shell

to secure the head. The dupatta now hangs like a gown around

the stick, but with an opening or slit. Instead of knotting, you

could also pin or stitch the dupatta.

BEFORE a performance, insert one hand under the flowing

dupatta to hold the stick. This hand should not be visible to

the audience.

THRUST the other hand through the dupatta slit and make

hand movements/gestures. Your moving hand has become the

puppet character’s hand and acts out a role.

Papier Mache Balloon Puppet

FOR

AGES

10+64idea

Make fun heads and prop them onto sticks or umbrella frames to

make large puppet characters

YOU WILL NEED

Medium sized balloons, Twine/rubber bands, Old newspapers,

Water, Fevicol or Maida paste, Poster paints, Jute rope

HOW TOSOAK torn bits of newspaper in water.

BLOW a balloon to maximum capacity. Secure with a piece of twine

or rubber band. Remove a bit of soaked newspaper from the water

and smear with fevicol.

PASTE it on the balloon. Keep pasting in this manner till the entire

surface is covered leaving a small gap at the secured end of the

balloon. Let the pasted balloon dry completely in the sun.

ADD more such layers over a period of 2-3 days allowing each

layer to dry completely. Deflate the balloon and remove it from the

papier mache shell.

PAINT a face on the shell. For the hair, attach painted

jute rope strings to the head using cellotape.

TO USE AS A PUPPET

INSERT a sturdy stick or an umbrella frame in the

hole in the head.

FOLD a dupatta into two and using a small portion of the

folded end at the top, make a knot around the stick and shell

to secure the head. The dupatta now hangs like a gown around

the stick, but with an opening or slit. Instead of knotting, you

could also pin or stitch the dupatta.

BEFORE a performance, insert one hand under the flowing

dupatta to hold the stick. This hand should not be visible to

the audience.

THRUST the other hand through the dupatta slit and make

hand movements/gestures. Your moving hand has become the

puppet character’s hand and acts out a role.

Pasta NecklaceFor once, this pasta is not for eating.

Help your little designer fashion her own

necklace with pasta!

YOU WILL NEED

Pasta (Tube), Food Colouring, Zipped bag or pouch, A

string, Scissors

HOW TO

ASK your child to select the pasta that she wants for

the necklace.

TELL her to decide what colours she wants to use.

Divide the pasta accordingly and place in separate zip

locked bags.

IN each bag, have her add 3 to 4 drops of the desired

food colouring.

HAVE her seal the bags and shake them well so that the

pasta is uniformly coloured. Next, have her add a few

drops of vinegar to each bag. Shake the bags well.

NOW open the bags and

leave the pasta to dry

completely.

HAVE her measure and

cut the desired length of

string. She can pass the

string through the pastas

in a pattern and finally

tie the two ends of the

string together. The pasta

necklace is ready to wear!

Designer Forum

T-Shirt PillowYour children will love to cuddle up with this pillow.

YOU WILL NEED

An old T-shirt, Cotton filling, Needle and Thread

HOW TO

TURN the T-shirt inside out.

LET them sew the bottom of the T-shirt.

NOW tell them to sew the arm holes in the same manner.

THEN, turn the shirt back, right side out.

NOW, ask them to stuff the shirt, from the opening at

the collar of the T-shirt, with cotton. Once it has been

stuffed properly, they can sew the collar.

The T-shirt pillow is now ready!

f your child loves to design her own clothes

and accessories and ‘imprint’ her stamp on

them, here are some ideas to trigger her

thinking.

FOR AGES

6+

FOR AGES

8+

65ideas

& 66

Stringing FlowersDoes your child wish to string her own flowers and wear it on her

hair? Here’s how you can teach her the basics of stringing

flowers via this simple demo using a matchstick.

YOU WILL NEEDMatchstick, Thread

Place the thread

horizontally across

the table.

Keep the

matchstick vertically

on the thread, with its

head on top.

Take the right end

of the thread, pull it

towards the left over

the stick and then,

bring it towards the

right again from under

the stick.

Now, stretch the

right end of the string

and make a loop with

the loose end crossing

over on the frontside

facing you.

Slide the matchstick

head through the front

of the loop.

Now, pull the

right end of the

string to make a

knot.

You have

successfully tied the

stick to the string!

Now, keep adding

more matchsticks to

perfect the art.

HOW TO

If you are still confused, then check out our video at www.parentcircle.in

FOR AGES

6+

67idea

TIP!Now that your child

has learnt how to

string a stick, go

ahead and teach her

how to string jasmine

flowers or even

crumpled coloured

papers that she can

hang as streamers.

Room Makeover

very child yearns for his or her very own personal

space - a place that reflects his or her individuality.

Help your child create this space for himself in the

bedroom that he either has to himself or shares with

his siblings.

WALLS can be painted in different

colours, designs and textures. To create

textures and designs on the walls you

can paint with sponges or stencils,

cover the wall with handprints or even

stick wall stickers. Entire murals can be

painted on the walls based on a theme

that the child loves - Disney characters,

Aquarium, Jungle, Cars, Trains, Planes,

Solar System or Cricket. When you want

a different look, all you have to do is

repaint the wall.

POSTERS will help personalize your

child’s room and those with inspirational

messages can help motivate him. Let him

design his own posters with a little help

from you, if necessary.

TEENAGERS in particular, can decorate

their walls with dupattas of different

shapes and colours for an ethnic look.

68idea

TIPS

DISCUSS WITH YOUR CHILD what she would like to have

in her room: study area, an exercise area, a dressing table

and mirror, an area to hang out with friends, or an

art corner.

DESIGN WALLS and furniture to change the look and mood

of the room. Allow your child to choose the colours and

the theme.

ALLOW DIFFERENT DECOR if the space is shared by

siblings. Have them decide on a common colour for the room

or go neutral on the main room colours.

DECORATE THE ROOM with memorabilia, trophies,

artworks or photos. Provide a display/pinup board for the

child to display all her favourite works.

REUSE OLD FURNITURE from around the house in new

ways. Buy furniture from second-hand shops.

PLAN THE STORAGE and organization of clothes, books,

toys, shoes and bags. The best way to organize all her

stuff is to have different boxes that can be decorated and

labelled. These should fit under the cot. Old recycled cans

can be used to store knick-knacks like pens and hairclips.

MAKE A DESIGNER NAMEPLATE with your child that she

can hang on the door.

CREATE A RULE BOARD together with your child that

spells out instructions for cleaning the room and allowing

pets inside. This can be stuck on the door.

Decorating the walls

FOR AGES

6+

Handmade CurtainsTHE child can string large beads together

in a pattern of her choice and hang several

such strings on the doorframe to create a

beaded curtain.

DIFFERENT colours of ribbons can be hung from a rope,

which is tied over the door frame.

SUN-CATCHER CURTAINS THE sun-catcher curtain is a fun, creative shade that

can be used to cover a window. Here’s how to make one.

YOU WILL NEEDTracing paper (measure the area of your window and

get 2 ½ times this size of tracing paper), Acrylic/

poster paints, Broad brushes, Rags, A pair of large

scissors, Fevicol, Stapler, A roll of Jute or other rope

of medium thickness.

HOW TO

TAKE one sheet of tracing paper and paint one side

of it with large swathes of bright colours. Leave

to dry.

TAKE another blank sheet of tracing paper and

paste it over the dried painted side of the paper.

REPEAT the above steps with the

remaining sheets.

ONCE dried, cut the pasted sheets into 1” wide strips

along the length of the sheet.

TAKE a piece of rope that is about one foot longer than

the width of your window. This is the rope that will be

strung at the top of the window. Place it horizontally on a

flat surface.

MEASURE the height of the window. Cut two pieces

of rope about 4-6 inches longer than the height of

the window. Leaving about 4 inches on either side of

FOR AGES

8+

69idea

the top rope, attach the top ends of these two ropes to

it. Let the ropes hang vertically on either side parallel to

each other on the flat surface. Now you have the basic

frame of your curtain.

ATTACH two or more paper strips together with staples

so that you have a strip that is at least 8 inches longer

than the width of the window.

PLACE this strip between the two vertical ropes, ½

inch below the top horizontal rope. Wrap the strip ends

around the two ropes and attach with staples/glue,

trimming the strips as necessary.

REPEAT this process with additional strips, placing each

about ½ inch below the preceding strip till the entire

rope length is covered, leaving 2 inches at the bottom.

Knot the ends of each of the ropes. Now you will have

horizontal slats between the ropes.

NOW attach two or more paper strips together with

staples so that you have a strip that is at least 8 inches

longer than the height of the window.

PLACE a strip of paper vertically across the horizontal

slats, leaving half an inch from the left hand side. Secure

the bottom end of the strip by folding and pasting it

onto the horizontal strip at the bottom. This will be the

‘bottom’ end.

WEAVE the vertical strip in and out of the horizontal

strips. Wrap the top of the woven vertical strip over the

top rope and secure it with staples/glue.

REPEAT weaving and securing to top rope, with more

vertical strips. Place them ½ inch apart, till the entire

width between the two vertical ropes is covered. Adjust

the weaves to cover the stapled/attached areas of

the strips.

NOW your curtain is ready to be hung from the window.

When the sun streams in through your curtains, it will

look spectacular. You can paint names, your favourite

patterns like stars, hearts or airplanes to personalize

your curtain!

Decorating AccessoriesStorage boxes and tins can be decorated in

several ways with paints, stickers, beads or

sequins. Old newspaper or magazine papers

can be used to decorate a box, dustbin or

old cans.

NEWSPAPER PENCIL HOLDERTo make a pencil holder, you will need some

old newspaper or paper from old magazines,

a can with the top open, glue, Fevicol and

scissors. Cut out pieces of paper, at least 6

inches wide. Apply glue on the paper and roll

it in tightly to make rolled strips. Attach these

strips onto the sides of the can with Fevicol.

TIP: To add colour, select paper that

is colourful.

FOR AGES

8+

23ideas

70idea

71ideas

Li’l ChefC

hildren love to eat their own creations. Why not

allow them to blend their own smoothies or make

fun-shaped sandwiches, or decorate those cookies?

Involve them in tasks that they are able to handle and don’t

worry too much about the mess.

PEEL and cut a variety of fruits such as strawberry, kiwi, banana,

mango, apple and orange. Display in individual attractive

containers.

PLACE a variety of toppings such as flavoured

yoghurt, condensed milk, jams, chocolate sauce,

raisins or nuts in small bowls.

EACH child can be given an individual bowl and

toothpicks to choose her fruits and toppings and

customize her fruit salad. Or have your child

create her own yummy fruit salad and serve the

whole family.

MIX together150g flour, 75g butter at room temperature, 75g sugar and 1

tsp of vanilla essence. Mix in very little milk (1 to 2tsp) if needed, to hold the

dough together.

ROLL out and use cookie cutters to cut out different shapes of dough.

BUTTER a baking tray and place the cut-out shapes on it. Bake in a

preheated oven at 180°C for 14 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a

wire rack.

GET creative and decorate with Gems, candies or nuts by using a paste of

10g butter at room temperature and 20g icing sugar.

Traffic Light-Butterfly-Bunny COOKIES (makes 20 small cookies)

Make-your-own- FRUIT SALAD

& 72

It is a style of packing lunch in which small

quantities of different food groups such as rice,

vegetables, fruits and pulses are placed in small

moulds to make the box look attractive.

PRESS into moulds mixed rice like pulao, tomato

rice or lime rice. Use small bowls, heart-shaped

moulds, Play-Doh moulds or any other interesting

shapes found at home.

TURN onto a plate so that the desired shapes

are formed.

USE cookie cutters to punch out shapes of boiled

carrots or beetroot.

BOIL and flavour pulses such as rajma

or channa.

PLACE each of the above food items in different

containers and pack the lunch box attractively

(muffin liners can be used).

Choco-Biscuit PUDDINGMIX 100gms white butter at room

temperature, 100 gms castor sugar and

50g cocoa powder. Beat well with a spoon

so that it is lump-free and fluffy to form

chocolate butter cream.

DIP 10 Marie biscuits into this mixture one at

a time until they are fully coated.

LAYER the biscuits on a tray so as to form

a tower (around 5 for each tower).

If any of the chocolate cream

remains, it can be smeared

onto the biscuit towers.

SET the towers in the fridge

for 1-2 hours. Slice as desired

and serve.

Fun SANDWICHESFOR LION: Cut out 2 inch diameter rounds

from brown bread. Cut out 2 small

rounds from white bread for the eyes

(use bottle caps of different sizes

to cut

the rounds).

APPLY butter and green chutney/

jam/cheese spread between the 2

slices of brown bread.

ARRANGE thin carrot sticks and yellow

capsicum sticks in between the 2 slices of

bread to resemble the mane of the lion. Place

the 2 white circles to make the eyes of the lion.

Use ketchup or jam to draw the nose and

mouth of the lion. Place on a bed of lettuce

and

serve immediately.

TIP: Use large cookie cutters to punch

out different shapes of bread.

Japanese Style BENTO BOX

73ideas

to 75

(COURTESY: Rashmee Ramkumar)

This is a simple group activity which can be done with

children in your apartment complex or with a familiar group

of schoolchildren. Choose a book that has distinctive

characters, and lends itself to role play.

BOOK CHOICES: Roald Dahl’s Matilda, Pippi Longstocking’s

adventure books, Ruskin Bond’s Mr Olivier’s series.

Let each child assume a role of her choice. During the role play,

children should read their portions aloud with emotion. Guide

them as needed. Enacting the characters in the book as

a group will make reading a fun affair. As the Reading

Theatre sessions become popular, ask the children to take

turns to bring their favourite books to share and read together.

Booknook76ideas

& 77

Get your child to adopt an

old worn-out book. Encourage

him to nurse the book back to

health. Let him design a new

book cover with a drawing and write a short

description of the story at the back of the

book. Have him interview a few students

and teachers who have read the book and

compile their responses.

Reading Theatre Start a Book Hospital

oes your child shy away from reading?

Engage him in activities that involve

books instead, and be pleasantly surprised!

FOR AGES

8+

FOR

AGES

6+

TIPS

Encourage Reading! SET aside a special corner in the house to place

the books you are reading together with your

child. You can even decorate the

space together.

MAKE it a habit to read to your young child

every night at bedtime. Encourage older children

to read for at least 15 minutes before going

to bed.

GET the child’s role model/mentor/godparent to

gift her a book you would like her to read.

TALK about the title of the book your child is

about to read. Ask your child what she thinks it

might mean or what the book might be about.

DISCUSS the author of the book. Have you

heard of this author or read other works

by her?

LET the child check out other titles by this

author and see which ones sound interesting

to him.

AFTER he finishes the book, ask your child to

suggest different endings to the book.

DISCUSS the characters in the book. Have

him think of other names he might give

the characters.

TAKE your child and his friends to book readings

for children in the city. There are book fairs,

storytelling sessions and

interactions with authors of

children’s books. Do not fret

if they seem disinterested at

first. In time, they will pick up

an affinity for books.

Book ArtGet together with your child to :

CREATE bookmarks centred on the theme of the

book he or she is reading.

CREATE colourful posters to display your child’s

favourite booklist.

PLAN a comic book project with your child. Pick

up a book that your child enjoyed reading and help

her illustrate in a sequence her favourite portion

from the book.

CREATE a puppet show from the story of her

favourite book. First, draw the characters from

the book and cut them out. These cutouts are

then glued or stapled to a stick and the puppet

characters are complete. The children can now

stage a puppet show with a voice over.

Use modelling cardboard to make the head-end of a

bookworm for your child. Make it about 4’’ in length.

Tack these on a bulletin board and say nothing about

them until asked. Then with your child’s help, cut out

additional curved sections for the bookworm’s body. As

a child completes a book, he writes the title on a curved

section and pastes it onto his worm. Watch those

worms grow! If he does not like worms, make a tree and

add leaves for the books read.

Bookworm

harry

pottertenali

raman

famous

five

0000 leagues under

the sea

peter

pan

FOR AGES

6+

FOR

AGES

5+

78ideas

& 79

80idea

Writers’ Guild

Keep a Journal YOU WILL NEEDDiscipline to make entries on a regular basis.

HOW TO

YOUR child can take an old, unused diary that promises to

keep secrets just by the way it looks, or get a beautifully bound

notebook having pictures of his favourite wild animals on the

cover. These are just incentives for him to maintain a journal.

If he is artistically and creatively inclined, he can make his

own journal by tying together loose A4 sheaves of paper, with

illustrated covers.

HE can write anything he wants in this. It can be about how

he faced tense moments for not completing his assignment on

time, or it can be on how he felt when he was sitting so still and

a butterfly sat on his sleeve. It can even be an essay about a

specific topic, and thus, not be restricted to memoirs. He can

have long or short entries.

AS there are no rules governing his writing, he can truly feel

free to express his ideas without worrying about his language,

style or grammar.

EDITING for language and grammar can always be done later

if he wants to share his writing with others. It is first important

to generate the ideas for writing. Language and grammar will

follow. Trying to focus on all aspects of writing can stifle the

child’s thought process and lead to writer’s block.

THE greatest benefits of keeping a journal is that the child will

get used to the idea of writing, and the journal will be a definite,

non-judgmental friend.

FOR

AGES

7+

Some children get inspired by observing the world around them or by

the stories they read or hear and develop an urge to write. You could

help them work on their writing skills with these ideas.

Script a story THE STORY IDEA: Help your child to first think of the idea.

He can imagine what his pets would say if they could talk. He can

adapt ideas from tele-serials or from comics and other stories he reads. For

instance, his dog may have magical powers and turn into different breeds if

he eats carrots, or become invisible if he eats laddus! Or perhaps he can fly.

STORY BASICS: Help your child develop an outline of what he’ll be saying in

the story. Who is the main protagonist? What does he like to do? Who are

his friends? Who does he not like? What does he do with his friends? Usually,

there is a problem to solve, so lead your child to this point. Ask him to identify

the people in the story who will help the hero solve the problem. How does the

hero face the various challenges with his animal friends or real-life friends?

STORY DETAILS: Now is the time for your child to create more details

around the basic story. How did the hero get into the problem? Can he solve

it, with the help of friends? Is there an adult mentor who helps the troubled

hero and his friends, and also keeps the hero’s secret? How will he help?

Who is the villain? Why did he do this dastardly act? What does he know that

the hero does not?

PLOT: The child now knows what is going to happen, but this has to happen

at the right time and place. What happens first, what happens next and what

happens again because of this? This sequence of events constitutes the plot.

How do the decisions taken by the main character lead to the next challenge?

What adventures follow and what roadblocks are placed by the villain? How

do our friends get over these, and reach the final goal? Finally, what reward

does our hero get and what punishment goes to the villain?

WRITE: After the child is familiar with the flow of the story, he needs to write

it in his own words. His characters should talk, there should be descriptions.

He need not worry too much about grammar/spellings for the moment.

EDIT: After the story is completed, the child should revise and fix the

mistakes. He should make sure that each character is presented differently

through the way they talk.

MAKE A BOOK: Get or make a book with blank pages. Have the child write

the story in the book and draw illustrations. If the child is very young, you can

write the story for her, while she does the illustrations.

FOR AGES

8+81idea

Voice your thought

ou can have brilliant ideas, but if you

can’t get them across, they won’t get you

anywhere”

Lee Iacocca (former president of Chrysler).

Left, right & back

A minimum of two people are required for

this activity.

ASK your older child to choose an ice-cream

parlour, a book store or a shop closeby.

LET us say your older child chooses a new ice-cream

parlour whose location is not known to your younger

child. Now, ask the older one to tell or write out

directions from your house to the ice-cream parlour.

The directions should mention landmarks and shops or

buildings the younger child is aware of.

LET the younger child follow the directions and try to

locate the shop.

IF the child reaches the ice-cream shop, tell her to buy an

ice-cream and enjoy it!

IF the younger child was unable to follow the directions,

have a talk with your children on what went wrong in the

communication. Try spelling out the directions with more

clarity and see if the child can reach the destination

correctly this time.

TIPS

PARENTS can give directions to children. The

children can also give directions to their friends or

visiting cousins or even to the parent.

ENSURE that the destinations are nearby so that

the children do not get lost and it is safe for them to

venture out on their own. If safety is a concern, go

along with the child, allowing him to navigate, without

any inputs from you.

FOR

AGES

6+

82idea

TIP! Instead of drawing

a picture, you may

choose pictures from

newspapers or old

issues of the National

Geographic magazine

and have your children

describe them in detail.

TIPS TEACH CHILDREN TO:

THINK before they

speak.

SPEAK clearly.

NOT shout.

TELL the other person

how they feel.

ALLOW others to finish

what they have to say.

SAY all they want to say.

LISTEN carefully.

From picture to prose

Draw a picture and ask your child to describe

it. Encourage her to describe the scene, the

objects, people, animals, birds, colours and

every element that appeals to her. Draw a

picture with enough details so that there is a lot

to think and talk about. Such a session will help

them communicate their ideas in a logical manner.

For older children - ask them to weave a story

from this picture.

FOR AGES

3+

Table TalkSelect a topic like a recent cricket

match, a recent visit to grandparents,

an interesting book or article, a topic

in the news or a movie that you watched

together as a family. At dinnertime, start a

discussion on this topic and encourage everyone to

participate. Allow your children to ask questions,

express their views and encourage listeners to hear out

the individual speakers.

FOR

AGES

5+

My point of viewThis is a fun activity which helps children appreciate

various points of view. It also shows that for communication to be

effective, the instructions have to be precise and clear.

LET one of your children or their friends think of an everyday object - it could be

a pencil box, a cup or an apple.

NOW, let them describe that object to others who will have to guess what it is. Have them make

up their own rules on what words can or cannot be used or if gestures are allowed. Your child

may have an apple in mind while her friend thinks that the answer is a tomato!

FOR

AGES

5+ 83ideas

to 85

Press and flatten one end of a

straw. Cut diagonally with scissors

on both sides of the flat end to form

a pencil point. This will be the reed

that vibrates to create sound. Blow

hard from the other end to hear

music. TIP: If needed, shorten the

straw size, and flatten it some more.

Experiment!

AS you blow, keep cutting the straw

to shorten it. Observe the change

in pitch.

FOLD the straw and snip out a tiny

portion at the folded end to make

a hole. The hole will help produce

a different sound when your child

blows into the straw. Cut out more

holes along the straw. Open and

close the holes while blowing to hear

different notes.

Word and TunesHave you

noticed that certain words

have a mood of their own?

Sing each word in the pitches

that bring out its character.

Experiment! Try singing the word ANGRY in

a really loud voice with a high

even pitch. Sing happy starting ha with a low pitch and taking ppy to a high pitch. Try sorry

starting with a medium pitch

and taking it to a really low

pitch.

String together 5 such words

which convey different moods

to you and sing them in

appropriate pitches.

86ideas

to 88

Make your own Jal TarangJal Tarang is a classical instrument

which creates music by using water

in china bowls. Here’s how you can

make your own Jal Tarang!

Take 6 to 10 bowls of the same size

and shape, made of porcelain or

glass. Fill the bowls with water at

different levels. Take two pencils

and strike the rims of the bowls

to make different musical notes.

Hear the notes emanating from the

different bowls, and mix and match

to create an interesting tune.

LooneyTunes

Straw Flute

Music produces a

kind of pleasure

which human

nature cannot do without.”

CONFUCIUS

Introduce your child to music.

It can be informal and as

simple as humming a tune

or listening to the sounds of

nature. Let him create his own

music using these ideas.

FOR

AGES

6+

FOR

AGES

8+

(COURTESY: Arvindguptatoys.com)

FOR

AGES

4+

Balloon BanjoBlow a balloon and tie a knot

at its neck. Tie one end of a twine of about 4 feet length to

the balloon neck below the knot. Tuck the balloon under your

arm and balance it on your hip. With one hand, pull the free

end of the twine tightly against the side of the balloon. With

the other hand, pluck or strum the string.

Experiment! Try changing the length of the string. Alternatively, increase

or decrease the string tension. Hold the balloon loose or

tight. Try a different type of string, or strum several

strings together.

(SOURCE: The Tech Museum of Innovation, USA)

CLAPCLAPCLAP

Balloon DrumBlow a big balloon to the maximum possible size.

Deflate it and cut off the neck. Place a scotch tape

roll flat on the table. Stretch the cut balloon across

the roll of scotch tape, completely covering the centre gap.

Secure the stretched balloon around the tape with a thick

rubber band. Now take two pencils and play on your drum!

Experiment! Try stretching the balloon tighter or looser. How does this affect

the sound produced?

Rhythm Game

Play a rhythm game

with your child. Start

with simple single

claps spaced at equal

intervals of about a

second. Ask your child

to mimic you. Repeat

this activity increasing

the frequency of claps and

increasing the complexity of rhythm.

For example: One clap followed

by two quick claps. Try different

rhythms.

Experiment! Try using different surfaces to

drum on, such as a wooden table or

a glass window. Experiment, using

a spoon and a steel vessel. Imagine

light rain drumming upon a tin roof

and turning into a heavy rain or

imagine swiftly approaching horse

hooves and simulate the sound.

89ideas

to 91

FOR

AGES

5+

FOR

AGES

6+

FOR

AGES

4+

WAYS TO VOLUNTEER Funds for a causeEncourage your children to set aside a

part of their pocket money each month for

a worthy cause. Instead of birthday gifts,

have friends and family gift money for a

charity selected by the child. After a few

months, take out the lump sum and drive

your children to the charity of their choice.

Let them donate the money for causes

close to them - it could be to an orphanage,

a home for the elderly or an organisation

that takes care of wounded stray animals.

Adopt a furry friendNewspapers often carry ads from

organizations putting up stray pups and

kittens for adoption. If your six-year-old

child has been hankering for a furry friend

for quite a while, take her to the animal

shelter and allow her to adopt a stray pup.

The pup gets a home, your child gets a

friend for life! Friends indeedFriendships spring from the most unlikely

places. Your child can be a buddy to

an underprivileged child, mentor a slow

learner or spend valuable time with a

differently-abled child. It is important to

sensitize your children to the needs of

92ideas

to 96

Giving Treehen children volunteer, they get to see how they can actually make a

difference. It fosters in them a sense of gratitude for who they are and

for what they have. Volunteering makes children more responsible - it

teaches them about sharing and caring, hard work and dedication, skills they will

need as adults.

differently-abled children who may

feel intimidated by your

children. This will also

make your children

more responsive

to the needs of

differently-abled children. Lend a handAnother way to volunteer would be

to teach younger children. Your

14-year-old son may want to help

the 8- and 10-year-olds in the

apartment block with their

studies. Or he may want to

read the Ramayana to his

grandmother in the evenings.

If your security person or the

help at home has young children

who need help with studies,

check with your children if they

would like to lend a helping hand.

Share'n'careFind out about environmental

programmes nearby where

your child can volunteer.

Ensure that he is keen

on volunteering; the

spirit of volunteering

is lost if you force

your child to

spend time in such

activities.

Lead thy kineadership skills enable children to be in control of their lives.

The activities given below will sharpen your child’s ability to

plan and devise strategies, both of which are regarded

as core skills within leadership.

Help your child start a newspaper

for family members. Using a word

processing software, let her report

the latest happenings in the family in

one or two pages as required. Take

a real newspaper for reference, and

show the child how she can create a

mock masthead and draw small text

boxes for small news items.

It would be fun if you allow your

child to write about the latest family

gossip - an aunt who has gone to

Spain for a vacation, an uncle who

lost his dog or dad going on an

official trip to Delhi.

After the headlines and stories

have been written, ask her to take

printouts which she can hand out to

visiting relatives for fun.

She can learn from this experience

and start a school/ neighbourhood

newspaper with some buddies.

Let your children organise a family

night on a Friday or the weekend.

THEY must ensure that family

members have no other plans as it

is a family affair and all must

be present.

THE children can draw little

invitations and hand them over to

family members informing them of

the date and event.

GIVE some cash to the children and

let them know that whatever they

are organizing (food or DVDs) must

not exceed the budget.

LET them plan the food and menu.

LET them choose various activities

for each family night. These could

be movies (grab DVDs which you

know everyone will enjoy and watch

at least two back-to-back with

popcorn in place!); games (Scrabble,

Monopoly, Pictionary, Risk); story-

telling or ‘How was my day today’

(everyone shares what they did that

day with the rest of the family).

ONCE the night is over, ask the

children to get feedback so that they

can go about organizing the

next one.

97ideas

& 98

Start your own newspaper

FOR AGES

9+

FOR

AGES

8+

TIPS

TO get interesting inputs,

the child should enlist the

help of cousins or peers (for

neighbourhood newspapers).

Networking is an important

leadership skill. Team-building

skills will follow.

THE child can sell the newspaper

for a very nominal sum and keep

track of its distribution and

the money earned and learn to

increase both - thus showing

initiative. He will also learn to

share profits with other children.

CHILDREN will learn to verify

facts before writing and learn

to become objective (a difficult

skill).It will also hone their

communication skills.

THEY may become influential in

their own sphere of activities and

rally support for causes!

Your own show

What lies behind us and what

lies before us are tiny matters

compared to what lies within us.”

R W EMERSON

Sense & Sensibility

99ideas

to 108

Honesty: The phone

rings and your child answers. She

turns to you as the call is for you.

You furiously gesture “Say I’m not

here.” And your child is made to lie

to the caller at the other end of the

line because of you! The best way

to teach honesty is to be honest

yourself.

Punctuality: Help

your children get dressed for school

on time, and ensure that they have

honest reasons for turning up late.

They will learn from you that there

is actually nothing fashionable about

being fashionably late.

Respect: Children who

are 3-4 years old can be taught to

respond politely. Teach your older

children to stand aside holding the

door open to let the older people

pass at supermarkets and

other places.

Responsibility: Younger children should be

encouraged to put away their

toys after they are done playing.

Older ones can be assigned other

responsibilities on a regular basis

such as watering the plants or

helping younger siblings.

Compassion and Empathy: Your friendly neighbourhood

postman is sweating profusely as

he hands over the mail to you. Your

child could be taught to offer a glass

of water to him. You can encourage

children to read to older people.

Gratitude: Encourage

your children to thank people.

Older children can make thoughtful

craft items demonstrating their

appreciation instead of a written

note. If you thank your driver for

getting an errand done or for driving

you to the cinemas, your child will

follow your example.

Civic Sense: Show

your children that it is not correct to

jump the queue, no matter how long

it is and how urgent the need. While

driving, when you follow the traffic

rules, your child will automatically

respect your civic sense.

Self-respect: Spend

time with your children, relax and

bond with them. Convey to them

that they are valuable to you, yet

individuals in their own right. You will

build self-respect in them.

Courage: Narrate real

stories of courageous figures like

Gandhi, Martin Luther King or Helen

Keller. It will inspire children to stand

up for what they believe in, despite

the adversities.

Perseverance: Persevere whenever you face

challenges in your life and see them

through with grit. Teach your child

that every cloud has a silver lining.

Your child will quietly follow your

example and learn to never give up.